Some “God Talk”. Often, for us as persons of faith, we are filled and overwhelmed with awe when become aware of God in our midst. We pause, allow ourselves to see what is beautiful and recognize God’s presence. We pause and are witnesses to love, and we recognize God’s presence. We pause and realize what marvels God has done for us, we want to exclaim thanksgiving, and we recognize God’s presence. This is all really wonderful and we need to stay close to these moments, and be alert for an avalanche of more of the same!
At the same time, I’m sure you have noticed as well as I, that these moments when we recognize God’s presence, are almost like a magnet or a gravitational force that pulls us in. The moments seem to grab at us and almost don’t want to let go. But we resist. This reminds me of the adolescent who is forced to visit an art museum. There he goes, from one section of the museum to the next, not really aware of what is in front of him. The wonderful moments that touch us, that reveal God’s presence are exceptional, we need to allow ourselves to remain there, to be captured by the magnetic or gravitational pull of the one who always loves us.
Then, I think our minds and hearts and lives will come together and find even greater cause to rejoice. Let me see if I can explain. As persons, we have limited perception. We can only see, feel, think so far and nothing more. Meanwhile, God, in his infinite reality is always beyond us, beyond the limits of our perception. When we touch God’s beauty, kindness, mercy, forgiveness, love – we are touching expressions of who God is, that is, only what we are able to perceive. This is God reaching out to us in a way that we may be able to recognize his presence. It’s like the young man who throws a stone at his girlfriend’s window. He wants her to wake up, to recognize that he is there, to open her window. The stone is not the young man, it is only a means to call her attention. Even the flowers he might give her, or a wedding ring, they are expressions but not the fullness of who the person is. More so, what we perceive and who God is, is totally distinct.
Notice how the most awe-filled response to God’s presence needs to be silence. A silence of reverence that echoes the Scripture text, “be still and know that I am God”.
And so, where am I geƫng to with all of this. First of all, to harken to the invitation to be still and in silence. Secondly, to notice how this makes hope real, consoling and a source of incredible strength. In the darkest, most dreadful moments that life inflicts upon us (or we on ourselves), God remains. The absence of beauty, of light and so forth does not mean that God is not present. Only, the often-accustomed way of perceiving is gone. God remains and is constant in his call for us to “be still and know that I am God, there is no other”. If we are able to allow ourselves this realization, then hope will not be absent and further, we can become courageous. And all of us know that it does take courage to be disciples.
Father Francisco Gómez, S.T.