When God’s Presence Persists Amid Injustice

Father  Matthew  Tomeny, MIC, reminds us that in moments of grave injustice and overwhelming evil, our first instinct is to ask, “Where is God?” He points out that the apparent silence is not abandonment by the Almighty but the result of the sinner’s own rupture from God. The emptiness of God resides in the heart of the one who commits evil, for they have turned away from the Source of all love. Yet, just as God never ceases to reach out to the lost, we too are called not to abandon those who have wounded us. Father Matthew urges us to embody Christ’s command to love our enemies, striving toward the perfection of the Heavenly Father. This love is not a sentimental feeling but a deliberate willingness to wish the good and salvation of the other, even when the other has caused us deep pain. Father Matthew emphasizes that true discipleship demands perseverance in mercy. When we choose to love as God loves—unconditional, patient, and hopeful—we become authentic children of God. Our love becomes a witness that the darkness of the sinner’s heart can be illuminated by divine grace. By refusing to give up on those who have strayed, we participate in the redemptive work of Christ, who embraced humanity while it was still steeped in sin. The call to love our enemies transforms personal suffering into a conduit for God’s mercy. It breaks the cycle of retaliation and opens the possibility of conversion, reminding us that every heart, however hardened, remains a creation of the Father yearning for reunion. May the Blessed Virgin intercede for us, granting the grace to love relentlessly, so that through our compassion the light of Christ may shine into the deepest shadows of injustice.