The sea is his and he made it...

Perched as we are atop Bergen Hill, Christ Hospital has one of the most tremendous views of any hospital in the country. On a clear day we can see almost everything from the Verrazano Bridge up to Midtown Manhattan and beyond. Before our eyes stands one major human accomplishment after another: the Empire State Building, the Holland Tunnel, the Brooklyn Bridge; all of them major engineering triumphs in their day and all of them testaments to our power to overcome obstacles. And yet, just beyond the Verrazano Bridge lies the immense Atlantic Ocean, perhaps as a reminder that no matter what we accomplish as humans, we will always be surrounded by a force much greater than us.

If you ride the Ferris wheel in Coney Island you can look in one direction and see the busy, teeming life of our vast metropolis; in the other direction you see what appears to be a vast nothingness of endless water. The city appears as a beacon of energy and light standing in opposition to the darkness of the great ocean; but of course, we know that this is just how it appears. The truth is that the ocean contains far more energy and life than our city could ever imagine. It’s not a vast nothingness at all, but a vital, life-giving force, without which our lives, as well as all our accomplishments, would be impossible. I think that our relationship with the ocean is perfectly symbolic of our relationship with God: that which on the surface appears to be empty and lifeless, is actually the very source of our lives. And while the ocean can be a source of great joy, especially now that summer is upon us, we also know that it has to be respected. Just as the sea is far more powerful and complex than we could ever imagine, so too is God.

There is an ancient story told about Saint Augustine of Hippo: as Augustine was walking along the beach one day trying to understand the Holy Trinity he saw a little boy running back and forth up and down the beach. The boy was dipping water from the ocean in a seashell and running up the beach to pour it into a hole that he had dug. Augustine asked the little boy what he was doing and he replied: “I am going to pour the whole ocean into this whole!” Augustine laughed and said: “Son, you will never be able to get the entire ocean into that little hole.” Undaunted, the little boy replied: “I have a better chance of getting the ocean into this hole than you do of understanding the Holy Trinity and God” and went right back to filling his hole. Trying to understand God can be a lot like trying to pour the ocean into a little hole: it is an impossible task, but with both God and the ocean, just because we can’t move it or fully comprehend it, doesn’t mean that we can’t appreciate its beauty or respect its power. May you be able to spend some time this summer contemplating the force that creates and sustains your life; it is that creative force which gives us the power to make creations of our own.

Blessings,

Fr. Kevin