Wrestling with the divine

Katie van Schaijik | Jul 8, 2015

The Rembrandt painting of Jacob wrestling with the angel on the cover of this month's Magnificat was one I hadn't seen before.

I find it an incredibly moving interpretation of the fraught relation between humanity and the divine. There is so much we don't see and don't understand—much to resent and resist. Jacob looks tense and tired out—like he's done struggling. The angel's expression is one of  perfect serenity, tenderness, and solicitude. There is no anger or aggression, no triumph in victory, or punishment for opposition—only love and concern and help and support.

Isn't this how it always is between us and God? We fight; He accepts our fighting, and comforts us in all our difficulties.