Unfathomable "Within"
M
y first point comes from the Jesuit priest and paleontologist Fr Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955). Teilhard was a visionary ahead of his time who sought to reconcile science and faith, seeing them not as enemies but as companions in the search for truth. His ideas stirred both controversy and fascination, yet many of his insights have proven remarkably prophetic.
At present, I am giving a Laudato Si’ Retreat to a group from Ateneo de Manila, many of whom belong to the Ateneo Institute of Sustainability. For the first time, I chose to frame the retreat using some of Fr Teilhard de Chardin’s teachings. One of the principles that captured my attention is this: Everything has a “within” as well as a “without.”
We easily recognize the “without” or the outside of things—their color, shape, size, and other physical characteristics. That is the more obvious part.
But what is new in Teilhard’s insight is that every outside also has an inside. Everything that exists has an inner dimension, a “within.”
Why does this matter? Because the spiritual life begins by recognizing that we are more than what can be seen or measured. We all have a “within”—an inner life where God meets us, beyond all the roles we play and the labels we carry. This insight echoes God’s words to Samuel when choosing David: “Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (1 Sam 16:7).
God looks into the heart, the place of desires, hopes, fears, and dreams—that cannot be reduced to physical measurements.
If God sees the “within” of every person, Teilhard invites us to recognize that creation also has a “within.” Every tree, flower, river, and mountain possesses a unique identity given by God. In fact, every cell of the trillions of cells in your body today could trace the ancestry of each of its elements back to the first moment of creation.
Secondly, Teilhard goes even deeper—not only into the cell, nor merely outward into the stars. Using Teilhard’s expression, one could say that St Ignatius of Loyola teaches us to enter the “within” of the Gospel, the interior life of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, and through them, the loving heart of the Creator. Our gospel today bears the heart of all Sacred Scriptures. It is recited by every faithful Jew three times a day: ‘And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and strength.’ But using Teilhard’s principle: Everything that exists has an inner dimension, a “within.” Indeed, Deus semper major, there is always more for a God who is always more and God has a within that is unfathomable (Is 55:8–9).
This bring us to our third and last point where Jesus reveals the “within” of the Greatest Commandment.
The scribe in today's Gospel is unlike many of the others we encounter. Whatever his motives may have been, we owe him a debt of gratitude, for it is his question that draws from Jesus one of the most important teachings in all the Gospels: the Great Commandment.
The question itself was a familiar one in Jewish circles. Many would have expected Jesus to answer simply, “You shall love the Lord your God.” But Jesus does something unexpected. He joins to it another commandment from Leviticus: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” In doing so, He forever binds love of God and love of neighbor together as a single movement of the heart.
Neither commandment is new. What is new is that Jesus places them side by side. And through their union the heart or the “Within” of the greatest commandment is revealed, which is love. The greatest commandment is a marriage of two great loves. Love of God and love of neighbor. And they are joined in love.
Jesus's new teaching is that love of God cannot remain locked-in either within the heart of God or within our heart. That is the meaning of St Ignatius’ line: Love ought to manifest itself more in deeds than in words. Love cannot remain an inward sentiment.
If Teilhard taught us to look for the “within” of things, Jesus is the deepest “within” of all. To find God in everything is to look "within"; He is never far away. The challenge is how to let Him emerge from the depths of our hearts.
Let me end using the Address of Pope Francis:
“Today the Lord often knocks from the inside because he wants us, as Christians, to let him out. Too often we keep the Lord to ourselves. We must let the Lord out—he is knocking at the door to be let out—and not keep him somewhat ‘enslaved’ for own purposes. … Go forward with courage and the joy that comes from evangelizing.” (Jubilee of the World Communications address of the Holy Father, Audience Hall, Saturday, 25 January 2025)
Amen. Fr JM Manzano SJ
Wonderful reflection, Father! ✨
ReplyDeleteThis is truly inspiring because it invites us to go beyond a superficial glance. For me, your reflection is an invitation to move from a superficial gaze to a contemplative one. Contemplation is not simply admiring what I am observing; it is immersing oneself in the depths of what I am contemplating, feeling with all the senses. I loved your statement, "Everything has an interior": people, creation, and, mysteriously, God himself. The spiritual life begins precisely when we stop living solely on the surface and dare to descend into the sanctuary of the heart. Deep within our being dwells an infinite thirst that needs to be quenched, except for God. It is there that God waits patiently for us, not as a judge who examines our appearances, but as a Father who contemplates our hearts. And your reflection is how it will help us transform our relationship with creation. Every tree, every river, every mountain, and every creature ceases to be merely a resource or an object and becomes a sacred mystery. Everything bears the imprint of God's creative love. When we learn to see things this way, a new sensitivity is born: gratitude, respect, and loving care for our common home, as our beloved Pope Francis said.
It's simply fantastic how you harmoniously integrated the Gospel of the day with Ignatian spirituality, creation, and the thought of the Pope Francis into your reflection. What you think is absolutely true: "True love always seeks to go out of itself." I loved that you added to your reflection the Holy Father's message: "Christ calls from within so that we may let him out." How often he said, "I prefer a church out in the open, battered and bruised, to a church shut up by fear." That's what letting Jesus out is all about: going out into the world, where reality cries out for his presence. Jesus never remained hidden; he proclaimed and denounced, because he was clear about the message of the kingdom of heaven. He was clear about his mission, and that mission belongs to us today. It is our mission to go out and make that kingdom present with those who suffer, with the marginalized, with those who are waiting for God.
We often look for God in distant places, when in reality He already dwells within us, as Saint Augustine so aptly put it: “Late have I loved you, beauty so ancient and so new, late have I loved you. And you were within me, and I outside; and there I sought you, and in my unnatural state I rushed headlong into the beautiful things you have made. You were with me, but I was not with you.” The challenge is not to make Him enter, but to allow Him to manifest Himself. Every gesture of kindness, every word of comfort, every act of justice and mercy is God going out into the world through us. Father, forgive the length of my comment, but your reflection is truly inspiring. Salamat po, father JM!😇🙏
Maraming salamat for reading so deeply and prayerfully. GBU! 😇
DeleteFather Jomari, I also really liked your reflection. It's very interesting to read what you both write.
ReplyDeleteHappy Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ! GBU! 🙏
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