Not long ago I watched a movie. A good movie with a good plot, tension and a series of occurrences, at first somewhat disconnected, that came together in a good ending. I was with a friend of mine who had already seen the movie. I remember a couple of times he'd say, "this part's important"� a phone call, keys left behind, the face of the taxi driver. It didn't seem to say much, but in the end, these three "coincidental" events were key to the conclusion of the movie.
Any movie is the creation of a story and a character that stars in it. The scriptwriter has a purpose, and he creates everything around his main character, so that things turn out the way he wants. In this sense, we can say that there is a main character and the rest is secondary: the rest of the characters, rain in a particular scene, flowing traffic, the red stoplight, the cool shades, the cell phone� nothing is missing, nothing is needed.
Given that God is our creator, the scriptwriter's job makes for a good example to realize that He is like that with us, only with infinite perfection. And perfection, in this sense, means that God is capable of creating a story in which all the characters are main characters. Each actor plays the biggest role.
This is really tough to understand. But it means, and it is more simply put this way, that each one of us is the main character of the world. God has been capable of predicting everything about every person. Everything is secondary with respect to me, and at the same time, God makes everything including me, secondary with respect to someone else, without changing the fact that I'm still the main character.
What is the Providence?
All that this means is that behind every occurrence, like in the movie, there is a scriptwriter and the one in the spotlight is precisely me. All is foreseen for me.
Behind it all, there are a pair of eyes that see and know, and nothing slips past them. Eyes that don't miss any detail; not a single hair. Eyes that are always present, the see whether a result will be harmful or good.
Those eyes look out for my well-being, that is, they have an intention, they are accompanied by a heart that wishes that what happens may be good for me, that the consequences are beneficial for me.
And these wishes are backed up with a powerful hand to which everything is submitted, and that acts so that things may turn out that way: as that heart desires.
This is what we call 'Providence'.
We know this 'Providence' by faith. But, with what we know about God, our reason believes that this is His logical behavior: it is coherent that the love of God is manifested in the Provincial care of each creature.
If we simply look at the world and our life in light of our personal experience, concluding from the information that we have, our vision of the world is simple and blind.
Why has this or that happened?
For someone who doesn't know how God loves, things occur because the laws of natural science have made something occur. Someone who knows the Providence also knows that the laws of natural science act and have made something happen. But he also knows that this world, with its laws and needs is not enclosed, but is open and leaning on the power of God and that it serves his intentions at all times. We must remember that the world exists because it is held up by the love of God that makes it all be. The same natural laws work, now, as a result of this love of God. It is He who holds this world up, with these laws that we know better everyday. And this world exists to be the place for humans: creatures that God didn't really need, but has created for the only purpose that they may be free for all eternity. What happens in this world, must it occur necessarily?Things that happen and that we live are presented to us as necessary, given situations. They are things that had to occur: it happened because it happened. But someone who knows such Providence knows that there is a power that is greater than all the reasons behind anything that comes to be, that puts these laws, forces and "needs" to the service of his interests and intentions. The strength that holds up the world can be seen as the hand of God. It is all at the service of what his heart, the intentions of his love, has in mind. And what that heart intends is the good of that main character, which is precisely me.
The true dynamics of a normal day of our days is this: the eye, heart and hand of God. This is the living love of God.
The world, then, is not run by any necessary natural laws, but by the love of God in this world. This doesn't mean that the world is an enchanted fairy-tale land: Providence does not undo or remove any of the harsh realities of life, but it does indicate that everything, including what we don't think is necessary, has a meaning. It is all at the service of an intention, all part of a perfect script.
