What Does God Do All Day?

Walking the city streets, we see many symbols of Christmas but few that are  close to the meaning of what the day should mean. We see Christmas trees, wreathes, stars, candles, bells, Santa Claus, candy canes, stockings, and many other symbols which in years past had a clear association with the Christ event. Today they are merely attempts to increase sales and make more money. So begins the column on View from the Ark in the Catholic Times.

This is a good indication of what has happened in all aspects of our society. We give meanings to symbols that fit our view of life. And for many the Christmas event has lost its meaning. It is a time to be merry and probably has more to do with the winter solstice than with Christ.
 
Recently, a woman without religious beliefs asked me a question I had never been asked before; it made me laugh, but also think. What does God do all day? I was surprised by the question but did quickly find an answer.And the more I  thought about it, the  more I 
thought it was  one of the best questions I  had ever been asked.

We hear in John I, 4:8 that God is love. The answer came rather easily, remembering these words: God spends his time in loving. The answer did seem to say something to the woman, and it said more to me.  "God's love was revealed in our midst in this way: he sent his only Son to the world that we might have life through him."

For a Christian, if God ever forgot the world and his creation for a moment, we would all cease to exist. What keeps the world and the universe in existence, though not for the scientist or philosopher but for a Christian, is the love that God has for what he has made. He showed us this love with a visual aid that can't be surpassed. He came to earth to live with us. It would be hard to beat that even in the world of children nursery and fairy tales.

The editorial in the Peace Weekly would like to know what questions he would have for us today. And wonders what would be our answers. Merry Christmas.