Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband; and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:1–4 (RSV)
Throughout the ages, some do not believe there is a God. Their creed is we come from nothing. We go to nothing. We are a tiny spark in the dark skies of eternity, flashing for a moment then gone. Nothing considered us before we were born, and nothing will recall us once we have died. We are, at best, cosmic dust; anything other than this is a delusion.
Most regard religion, any religion, to be at best an interesting collection of stories intended to comfort the weak-minded. Many see religion as a form of insanity that has caused more harm throughout history than any other human invention.
A good friend, who had been an agnostic in his college days, often remarks that he did not have enough faith to be an atheist. He is correct; atheism is a form of religion that refuses to believe in God and must have faith that God does not exist.
Who can consider the whole of creation from its beginning to the uncounted ages yet to come and say there is no God? It takes greater faith to believe that all this just happened than to believe God does not exist.
We may not be able to convince anyone that God exists if they choose not to believe. It is by faith we trust the Word the Father has given to the world through His Son. It is an act of faith that we confess Jesus, born of Mary, is the only Son of the Eternal Father. I can offer no proof to those who refuse to hear the Gospel that they will accept.
In his Revelation from God, St. John writes of the day in which there will be no doubt about God. In the day when all things are made new when His voice echos from His throne. He will dwell among us so fully that none shall ever doubt again. The day that the Father bends to wipe away our tears, we will know that we are more than cosmic dust. For all who have gone down into the grave, who have gone beyond decay, will be raised never to know death again.
We celebrate the salvation that begins in a manger, hidden from all but a few. We look for the redemption to come when every tongue confesses Him Lord.