‘The Great Search’

Abraham Joshua Heschel, the distinguished Jewish scholar of the 20th century, wrote a beautiful book entitled God in Search of Man in which he reminds us that God first and foremost begins the great search for humanity even before we begin our search for God. There is in the depths of our being what has been called a “God-shaped hole” which we try to fill with many different things throughout our lives. But nothing ultimately satisfies this deeper inner longing, because we have been created ultimately for God. As St. Augustine puts it: “Our hearts are restless till we rest in you, O God, for you have made us for yourself.” Ronald Rohlheiser in his lovely book The Holy Longing reflects on this fundamental truth. The Catechism of the Catholic Church notes that there is a “universal call to prayer.” Humanity “is in search of God…” but “God calls…first.” “All religions bear witness to men’s essential search for God… In prayer, the faithful God’s initiative of love always comes first; our own first step is always a response…this drama engages the heart” and “unfolds throughout the whole history of salvation.” (CCC 2566-7)