Sunday Gospel Reflection, August 10, 2014: The Lord will be passing by...

The Lord will be passing by...

Where do we meet God?  And what do we do about it when we do?

Our readings this weekend center on the idea of theophany, the manifestation of God to humankind, as various individuals are challenged to recognize God in their midst… and with varying success.  In 1 Kings, Elijah has fled from Jezebel and has made his way to Horeb, where he is hiding in a cave.  But God tells him to stand outside, for the Lord will be passing by.  Notice that Elijah does not ask to see God; he’s not looking for a divine revelation, just direction, a message of some kind telling what his next step will be.  But God takes the initiative to reveal himself to Elijah in a way Elijah does not expect.  Given the tradition, Elijah might imagine God appearing in a very strong wind, or an earthquake, or fire… but he doesn’t.  Instead, God is present in the insignificant:  After the fire there was a tiny, whispering sound.  Fortunately, Elijah is open to God and does not fail to miss this critical theophany. God reveals himself in a way that requires intimacy and connectedness, of a sort referenced also in Psalm 85:  Lord, let us see your kindness, the psalmist sings.  Blessings, and grace, come when we are faithful, open to God’s presence in the everyday events of our lives.

Yet sometimes it’s hard to meet God, to see him right there, before our eyes.  Paul’s letter to the Romans indicates that his people, the Jews, have failed to recognize God as well:  they have not been open to the presence of Christ in their midst, either in person or in the form of the Good News, and their closed hearts are a source of anguish for Paul.  God is revealed in Jesus, Paul tells the Romans:  from you is the Christ, Jesus, the Son of God.  But they do not see.  Even the apostles have a hard time recognizing this God, Jesus, in their midst.  In Matthew's Gospel, when Jesus comes toward their boat, walking on the water, the disciples can’t help but be awed:  only God can control the chaos of the water.  Peter is willing to challenge this notion:  If it is you, command me to come to you on the water, he says.  If ??.  And while his faith is initially strong – he does get out of the boat, after all! – as soon as he turns his attention to the wind, he becomes afraid, and starts to sink.  His saving grace is his cry:  Lord, save me!  It is an implicit acknowledgement of the power – the divine power – of Jesus in their lives.

Where do you meet God?  Are you waiting for a powerful theophany, God in a burning redwood in your backyard, Jesus walking across your swimming pool?  Or can you retrain your eyes to find God in the smallest blessings of creation?  Do you experience our Lord in Eucharist – really perceive his presence in the sacrament?  Are you able to see Jesus in the eyes of the person next to you?  This week’s readings tell us, simply, that God’s love is always, always available to us… so long as we have hearts open to perceive it.

This post is based on Fr. Pat's Scripture class.
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