On Juggling, Third Children, and Existence

Last updated on: September 10, 2024 at 6:28 am by Andrew Laflamme

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On Juggling, Third Children, and Existence 2024-09-10T06:25:24-05:00 Andrew Laflamme

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Juggling Existence (Image by Theodore Moise from Pixabay)

Tossing one object and catching it is a classic game of catch. Two objects thrown by each hand and caught is surprisingly more difficult; however, it is still catch being played simultaneously by each hand. Add a third item, and now you’re juggling. But what does juggling have to do with existence?

We all Juggle in Some Way

In middle school, I taught myself to juggle. I don’t know why. Maybe I had an aspiration of putting on an entertaining bit for a talent show someday. Or I just had down time, came across three hacky-sacks in my room, and saw a challenge.

Today, I don’t juggle as much in that way. However, since our third child was born, I have been thinking of this concept again, especially at bed time. Some nights, it is as if my wife and I are the two hands and the kids are up in the air.

I think anyone can relate to the idea of juggling because we have all, at one time or another, had more tasks to do than we have time. Everyone has had schedule conflicts, friendships, or events that they’ve had to choose between.

This is part of juggling, to evaluate in the moment, while things are falling at you, which one is closer to the ground and needs to be addressed first.

Juggling and Our Existence

One night, as all three kids were popping awake at once, I started to reflect on how amazing it is that God is present to each of us at all times.

Contingent Beings and Necessary Beings

Thomas Aquinas has 5 ways to prove the existence of God. In the third way, he separates everything into two categories: contingent beings and necessary beings.

Contingent things are anything that may not have existed at one point. For example, the light from a lamp can exist or not exist depending on the switch being on or off.

Everything comes from something else, but if everything were contingent, then nothing would exist.

There has to have been something or someone at the beginning to initiate anything to exist. This is called the Necessary being, or God. The light is created by the lamp, which was created by a person, who came from parents, and so on, but in the beginning was the Word.

Constant Motion of Existence

Like the light from the lamp, our existence is not a one time thing that is just put into motion forever. The constant motion in the juggling of life needs to be constantly maintained.

God is constantly holding each of us, body and soul, in existence. This attention and care is what I am not capable of. I have to divide my attention, hopping from crib to bed, soothing, rocking, and laying back down.

How can God provide this constant attention to us? It helps that by always existing, God is outside of time. Not limited by time and space, God can be present to each of us in every moment, keeping the lights on and providing what we need.

Intentionality

As the Catechism says, God created man to share in his own blessed life (CCC 1). This intentionality is beautiful. God doesn’t have to juggle. He is constantly sustaining 8 billion souls on earth in addition to the billions of souls that have passed. All of existence comes from Him, as he is Necessary.

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