26.11.24 Hati yang Menjerit: Ketika Manusia Merindukan Tuhan

Tuesday last week in ordinary time "Lk 21:5-11" Jesus said, "As for these things which you see, the days will come when there shall not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down." And they asked him, "Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign when this is about to take place?" And he said, "Take heed that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he!' and, 'The time is at hand!' Do not go after them". In recent times we have seen an attempt to build a Godless society. But for centuries people have tried to replace God's law with their own. There has been no shortage either of people (and whole societies) that have tried to hide God from public life, attempting to replace the worship of God with the worship of dictators or governments. This shouldn't surprise us – Jesus warned us about it. Many authoritarian regimes have made it a priority to root out God and religion from people's hearts. But they have never succeeded because God is anchored in the human heart as a necessity for our happiness. In places where Christians have been slain, religion forbidden and believers persecuted, God has always remained the same. For over 34 years communists had attempted to abolish religion and build an atheistic society in Poland. From 1945 the regime started circulating anti-religious propaganda, persecuting practising Christians. But in 1979 St John Paul II visited his country for the first time as Pope. Two months before the Pope's arrival, Polish communists took steps to restrain the enthusiasm of the people. They also issued instructions to the Polish media to censor and limit the Pope's comments and appearances. But when the Holy Father got up on the stage and started preaching, millions of people started singing at the tops of their voices: "We want God! We want God! We want God!" The Pope tried to continue but the shouting went on, "We want God!" and it didn't stop for fifteen minutes! What a moment in modern history! Don't you hear the hearts of today's men and women shouting the same: 'We want God! We want God! We want God!'? Mary, Mother of God, I also hear the Voice of your Son shouting, 'I want women! I want men! I want you!'