psalm 34: taste and see god. 3rd week advent tuesday

Our responsorial psalm today, psalm 34, is a personal testimony of David, his experience of God in time of adversity, how he was saved from his enemies, and how his life was preserved.  David was fleeing the wrath of Saul who is pursuing him wanting to harm him.  He came over to take refuge in Gath only to realize that its king Achish an ally of Saul recognized him.  So in order to disguise himself nagpabubang-buang sia kag wala sia nakilal-i.  This psalm is a thanksgiving for that event when David experienced for himself the love, the mercy, the protection and the care of God for him.  "When the just cry out, the LORD hears them, and from all their distress he rescues them. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; and those who are crushed in spirit he saves." This is David talking in the third person.

Last night we had a philosophical symposium where seminarians and priests gather together to discuss Philosophy.  And one of the questions there is this, how do I know that there is really God?  The existence of God has been taught to us since we were small and we took it to be true without really thinking if God does really exist.  We believe God because adults told us that he does and we never questioned it.  But does God really exist?

When this young man in college asked this question, the seminary fathers took turns in answering, but since I am not really adept in philosophy my mind was turned to an almost similar incident in the bible about the woman on the well who told her fellows Samaritans about Jesus.  After two days of listening to Jesus these same Samaritans told the woman, “We no longer believe because of your word; for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the savior of the world.”  They themselves experienced who Jesus was.

This is also the invitation of Psalm 34, the invitation of David to all of us that we taste and see for ourselves who God is.  In the psalm David was the poor one, the just one who called to the Lord who heard him, he was in distress and the Lord saved him.  This is David's experience of God.  It is important also that we come to know Jesus personally – not as somebody introduced to you by some priests or by your parents but somebody you yourself experience.  This Christmas ask for that gift from Jesus.  Lord help me to experience you, to really taste and see you, to truly experience for myself that you are my savior, you are the savior of the world.

So does God exist for you?  Many of us will answer theoretically, yes he does.  But have you experienced him in your life, is God real, tangible, visible in your life?  And Dios bala buhi para sa imo?