Players on God’s Stage

“All the world’s a stage,

And all the men and women merely players;

They have their exits and their entrances;

And one man in his time plays many parts, ...”

William Shakespeare, As You Like It

St. John Henry Cardinal Newman understood this very well. And being British, he probably appreciated Shakespeare (who, it has been suggested, was probably a Catholic, hiding this fact due to the persecution of his time). One of my favorite JHN quotes is, “I am created to do something or to be something for which no one else is created. I have a place in God’s counsels, in God’s world, which no one else has. Whether I be rich or poor, despised or esteemed by man, God knows me and calls me by my name. God has created me to do him some definite service; he has committed some work to me which he has not committed to another. I have my mission – I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. Somehow I am necessary for his purposes, as necessary in my place as an archangel in his …” St. John Henry Newman, Everyday Meditations

There are those who believe that God created the world and then disappeared, leaving us to our own devices. But those of us with faith know that God is very active in our lives and our world. In fact, we know that God is in charge. We don’t understand why things, both good and bad, happen all the time. But we recognize that there’s a reason, one that often only God knows. However, through trust and faith, we accept that he knows better than us and he usually brings some greater good out of the tough times and even disasters that happen in our world.

For example, in Chapter 9 of John’s Gospel, when Jesus heals the man born blind the disciples ask him why the man was born blind. Jesus tells them, “Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him. We have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day.” (John 9:3) So must we do the works of God while we are in the world.

One of our problems with our understanding our roles is the evil that exists in the world. God didn’t create evil, but he allowed it to exist as a natural consequence of free will. God made us in his own image and that means we have control over our actions through free will.

“Evil is not a thing that God created but an absence of good that God tolerates. Evil is a parasite that can’t exist without the good just as rust can’t exist without the metal it corrupts.” P. 32. Trent Horn, Why We Are Catholic

As shown in the excerpt from John’s gospel above, the existence of these problems in the world, natural or man-made, are an opportunity for us to give glory to God through our charity towards our neighbors. America as a nation has historically responded to disasters around the world with food, monetary aid, and even rescue personnel. These are very Christian acts. Trent Horn, referring to St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians noted “... we merit salvation by cooperating with God’s grace to do the works he prepared for us before we were even born (re Eph. 2:10).” (Trent Horn, Why We Are Catholic, p. 142)

Jesus encouraged not only doing the will of the Father but also good works for the glory of the Father. “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matt. 5:16)

Charity (as in good works) is an important part of an active Christian life. St. Paul, in several of his letters, encouraged everyone to do good works and even cautioned against idleness. “For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: if any one will not work, let him not eat.” (2 Thess. 3:10)

And then there’s the Letter of St. James who reminds us that our faith is made manifest in good works. “So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead. Indeed someone may say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works.” (James 2:17-18)

As in the Parable of the Talents (Matt. 25:14-30), God has entrusted each of us with a task according to our ability. It is up to us to make use of them to fulfill God’s will, for by our actions we will all be judged. “For he will render to every man according to his works.” (Rom 2:6) God wants us to recognize the talents HE GAVE US, and use them to HIS glory, not ours. C.S. Lewis summed this up in The Screwtape Letters, “only individuals can be saved.”

So one of our tasks is to discern what role God has cast us in on the world stage and accepting the part. We can’t just be bystanders. Between the Bible and the Magisterium God has told us through the Church how to live our lives. It’s not a pick and choose menu.

God gives his gifts freely. We, as individuals, are the ones who choose - we can either accept the gifts of God’s grace and mercy or we can refuse them. “Before a man are life and death, good and evil, and whichever he chooses will be given him.” (Sir 15:17) Too often we see our choices to do as we please without regard to God’s will as freedom, not realizing that we are actually being enslaved by Satan and our sins.

“Broadmindedness, when it means indifference to right and wrong, eventually ends up in a hatred of what is right.”

Bishop Fulton Sheen