God Conversation

Q&A With Fr. Sebastian Athappilly

Q: We talk of having a personal relationship with God. Such a relationship requires communication between the individual and God. Now, a human being can ‘speak with’ or ‘communicate with’ God through words, whether silent or spoken aloud. But how does God ‘communicate with’ human beings?

1. We ordinary human beings do not hear God speak to us in words. So, does this mean that God does not speak with/communicate us at all? Or, does it mean that God does communicate with us, but in ways other than in words?

2. Could you please share your reflections on the different non-verbal ways in which you think God may communicate with us (e.g., through arranging some events to happen, for us to meet particular people etc.).

3. If God communicates with us in various non-verbal ways, how do we know that a particular situation that comes our way is actually a means for God to convey something to us? And, if it is indeed a form of non-verbal communication from God, how can we discover what God wants to tell us through it?

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A: Thank you for the above questions, they are indeed very relevant and existentially important.

Question No. 1 reads: “We ordinary human beings do not hear God speak to us in words. So: Does this mean that God does not speak with/communicate us at all? Or, does it mean that God does communicate with us, but in ways other than in words?”

Let us focus on the opening statement that “we ordinary human beings do not hear God speak to us in words”. I guess that you mean by this statement that we do not hear God talking to us through our physical ears, as we hear our fellow humans speak with us. This is true and has to be true, since God has in His proper nature no physical form as we, unless God takes or appropriates a human form. At the same time, as you have rightly but indirectly pointed out, speaking means communicating. The question now changes into whether God can communicate with us. Communication can take place also non-verbally. The need of hearing with ears is here replaced by seeing with eyes (spiritual and physical) and understanding. This takes place even at the human interpersonal level, for example, in the case of our communication with a deaf and dumb person. We communicate with such persons not with audible words, but by visible signs or gestures. Signs play here a crucial role. To a certain extent, this is also the case in our communication with the babies, as also with certain subhuman beings. In the case of blind persons, we can communicate besides through audible words, through special written codes (for instance, using the Braille system).

We communicate at times even without words and signs, but in silence, even though both are capable of speaking. Mere presence can be a powerful means of communication. Further, in case the person is unable to see or to open the eyes, we can make the persons feel our presence by our touch or by holding the hands. This is all the more important when a person is seriously ill and unable to speak. That means, communication can take place also nonverbally.

God speaks or communicates with us through the book of creation and revelation. Looking at the history of revelation, we find that God employs all the three modes of communicating, namely, deeds, words and presence. God creates, acts in history, speaks through the creation as well as the prophets, other persons and events, and He is present in the tent, tabernacle and the temple. The holy books of revelation, as far as they are authentic, contain the inspired words of God. Here we have to discern among the various claims. However, God does not leave us without any guidance to find out authentic revelation. Reasonable signs and the guidance of the Holy Spirit are here the lights that enlighten us.

I remember in this connection the following words of a former atheist John L. Barger, who converted to a Catholic Christian believer, “It seems to me that even though our pets can know but little of our interior lives and the meaning of what we say, our conversations with pets are natural. And it seems to me, then, that God’s efforts at communication with us are just as natural, even though we can grasp but little of His interior life and the meaning of His words. Indeed, to me, not speaking to pets is stranger than speaking to them; and similarly, God’s not speaking to us seems stranger than His speaking to us. … Indeed, an honest, inquiring atheist should look around for revelations, expecting that if there is a God, He would seek to speak to us.” (B. McGinley, ed., From Atheism to Catholicism. Nine Converts Explain Their Journey Home, Irondale: EWTN Publishing, 2017, 12-13).

Question No. 2: Could you please share your reflections on the different non-verbal ways in which you think God may communicate with us (e.g., through arranging some events to happen, for us to meet particular people etc.).

The different non-verbal ways in which God may communicate with us are definitely, as you have indicated above, some events and people. In all that happens to us personally and others, God conveys some messages to us; to review and change the ways we have been treading so far. To take a simple example from everyday life, if you live in stress, do not drink enough water or do sufficient physical exercise, you will most probably become ill very soon. Through the illness, God speaks to you to revise your style of life. This applies also to your moral life. For instance, if you steal, say lies commit adultery, live without following the dictates of your conscience, you may end up in a breakdown or a crisis that could open your eyes for a conversion. This is, in the eyes of faith, a call of God for conversion. God speaks to you through this instance.

The biographies of many persons, including saints, especially Apostle Paul of Tarsus (ca. 4 B.C.-62/64), Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556), Camillus de Lellis (1550-1614), John of God (1495-1550), Charles de Foucauld (1858-1916), etc. tell us similar stories. There can be also other types of communications from God in the form of appeals to help. The experiences of Martin of Tours (316-397), when he met a shivering beggar on the road or of Mother Teresa of Kolkata (1910-1997) during her travel on a train to Darjeeling (1946) was a conversation of God to help. Therefore, she started the Congregation of Missionaries of Charity. Similarly, the request of the bishop to the young priests in Belgium to help the lepers in the colony of Kalaupapa on the island of Molokai in Hawaii was a conversation from God to Father Damiende Veuster (1840 -1889). The young Father Damien came to Hawaii in 1864 to serve them and died there. Any instance or event can be a communication from God in the form of an appeal from Him. It all depends on the light and eyes of faith to see and understand it. The desperate cry of Franciszek Gajowniczek, a poor Polish family man, who was selected by the Nazis to be executed in the concentration camp at Auschwitz—his co-prisoner Fr Maximilian Kolbe (1894 -1941) heard the cry as God’s communication to help the man. Therefore, he volunteered to die in his place. The misery of the blacks and slaves in America was for Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) an appeal of God to work for their emancipation.

Similar instances of God communicating to us can happen also in our lives; I have had several such experiences.

Question No. 3. If God communicates with us in various non-verbal ways, how do we know that a particular situation that comes our way is actually a means for God to convey something to us? And, if it is indeed a form of non-verbal communication from God, how can we discover what God wants to tell us through it?

Your question is very valid. It revolves around two crucial issues, a) how we know that it is God who speaks and b) how we can discover what God wants us to do. The question implies that the one who speaks to us could be our own imagination or wish, or an angel (good spirit) or even a demon (evil spirit). St Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556), the founder of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), has provided us with fourteen rule for the discernment of the spirits. In addition to that, I would propose that if one experiences a message as coming from God, one should check it against the norm, whether the message would really help one serve God and the people with greater love or if the proposed activity would only promote one’s own natural desires of sensual pleasures and earthly glory. A valuable and ordinary help to discern the call of God is to submit it openly to one’s spiritual guide and be ready to obey and follow his/her advice. Some exceptionally rare instances have also happened in the lives of a few specially chosen persons of convincing internal inspirations from God as God’s conversation.