Signs of God's Prescence

If you have lost a loved one or are separated from a loved one for a long time, you know the power of signs. The signs of the presence of a loved one are so powerful that they can connect us in a real way to the actual presence of that loved one. For example, a photograph of your loved one may be framed by your bedside so you feel his or her presence with you as you sleep. Or you repeatedly read a hand-written love letter to evoke the spirit of that person in the present moment. These kinds of signs are beautiful gifts when space and time separate us from one another. Yet we engage only temporary signs and encounter only loving memories.

The signs of God’s presence in our lives are even more powerful. The greatest signs of God's presence are called sacraments. These seven unique signs instituted by Christ are perhaps the most powerful and most mysterious. The Seven Sacraments are "the signs and instruments by which the Holy Spirit spreads the grace of Christ the head throughout the Church which is his Body" (Catechism of the Catholic Church 774). In the section on the Mystery of the Church, the Catechism explains that the Church is the sacrament of Salvation. Her first purpose is "to be the sacrament of the inner union of men with God" and "the unity of the human race" (775). Therefore we rely on the Church to dispense the sacramental graces given to her by Christ, who is the primordial sacrament, that is the beginning of making visible the invisible reality of God's life and love to the world. And who is the Church? You and I, as baptized members, are the Church. Christ has handed on to us His plan of Salvation! How many of us understand this? How many of us accept this? How many of us embrace this calling and all of what this means?

There is one very basic sacrament that seems to be often diminished, ignored, or neglected. This sacrament is not one of the seven. This sacrament is the human person, whom Christ raised to a sacrament by the Incarnation. Each one of us who is baptized is a temple of the Holy Spirit. Yes! Dwelling within each of us is the true presence of God! And so as a member of the Body of Christ, you are called to be a sacrament, a visible sign of Christ to the world. In fact, God’s plan of Salvation depends on each of us baptized members to be a sign of God’s presence in the world. None of the Seven Sacraments are possible without someone accepting and participating in God's grace. God does not force His grace on anyone. As Mary our Mother models for us, God waits for our yes to His calling.

Now let me be clear, I am not nor are you the true or real presence of God. We are only signs. Yet the real presence of God is known only through us baptized members of the Church, both clergy and laity together. You and I, as baptized members of the Church, are signs of God’s presence in the world. How amazing! How beautiful! How humbling! 

I can know and experience God through you like no other sign. More than a photograph or icon and more than a love letter or prayerful words, you and I as temples of the Holy Spirit make present God to the world! This is such an amazing mystery that should definitely humble us. We are called not for comfort but for greatness on God's behalf. 

When we show love to another person, we are living icons of God engaging in real time and in real space. Each of us is called to say yes to God, so He can love through us, so God’s love can be experienced by another person. Wow!

We all need God in our lives and God is made present through us. This is His plan of Salvation. God who created us in his image and likeness relies on each of us to be Christ to one another through our words and deeds. So please do not take for granted or dismiss your participation in grace. God relies on you too much to ignore your unique role that He has for you. God asks of each of us to be His Body for the sake of Salvation. Embrace and go forth as a sign of God's presence in the world.

Dance Life Together

God's plan for human relationship involves seeking out one another intentionally and communicating according to the needs of the other, or one's beloved, while discovering more about oneself. So if I personalize my explanation it would go something like this...

Our relationship requires an alignment with who I understand myself to be, who I understand you to be, and who I understand us to be. And the same would be true for you. Our relationship also requires an ordered progression with natural movement, much like music and dancing. We encounter one another intimately over time, step by step, synchronized, and reciprocating in mutuality. The steps we make together are to be aligned with divine order, that is God's Plan, and aligned with human nature, that is the authentic, uniquely us as created by God. If aligned with God's Plan and the uniqueness of each of us, our relationship would flow like music and move like dancing. Sometimes our relationship will be rocky and fast while other times slow and smooth. Knowing the variety of melodies and being opened to every step along the way, together we would partner through life successfully and happily as we dance life together.

Part of God's order is for Man to initiate with the Woman only after he has responded to God's initiative. The Woman is to receive or reject the Man's initiative but only in light of what she has first received from God. 

To break this down further in our relationship, I respond to your movement in kind but in my own way through both what I say (Word) and what I do (Deed). I acknowledge you through a new motion of my own yet in like response to what I received from you. My new motion must be in kind to yours for you to receive me well, otherwise, we are most likely stepping on each other's feet. And that is inevitable to happen from time to time, especially early in our relationship or when we are out of sync with each other. I can add something new of me each step of the way as I gradually learn from you. Yet anything new of me given must make sense to you. And I must be open to you and what you communicate to me if I am to keep in rhythm with you. This starts for me with what I understand about you, me, and us. 

This is at the essence of Man's initiative. He must know enough of her and of himself to respond in kind to her. If not, then he is likely just jerking her around the dance floor. Or she is not following his lead.

With each small encounter between us, I build up an understanding of who you are, who I am, and who we are together. Yet we are best to realize that we can never fully understand You, I, or Us. There will always be something new to seek out, discover, learn, explore, and share with one another. This is the beautiful part of dancing our way through life. There is always something new to discover, rekindle, or simply cherish in the present moment together. We can recall what we know of each other, and cherish our moments like reciting lyrics or whistling notes of a song to which we enjoy dancing together.

Each of us must begin with trusting. Trusting God has brought us together for a relationship. Trusting oneself to be there for the other. Trusting the other to hold you while dancing in life. Trust aids in understanding the kind of relationship God has called us to have today. Understanding today guides our actions in the now, and transforms our future actions. That is God's plan for human relationships, to dance life together.

The Scars of Life

Life is not without scars, and I find this wonderful and beautiful. No, what had to have happened to cause the scar is not beautiful, nor wonderful. The scar is a sacramental sign of God's healing power embodied within us. What a marvelous miracle!

As a child, I took pride in my most prominent scar, a wicked looking one on my right wrist. The pains I endured to reach that point still haunt me, and my mother. Yet the lessons I learned from that day are invaluable because of God's grace flowing within my family and the community.

My scars remind me of pain, yes, but more importantly scars remind me of a life worth living. A life of friendly banter, of sibling play, of parental guidance, of spousal intimacy, of sacrifice, of endurance, of forgiveness, of reconciliation, of restoration. Most importantly, the scars of my life remind me of God's powerful healing grace working not only in my body but also through everyone who has ever loved me and everyone I have ever loved and still love today.

This might not be theologically sound, but when I see the Blessed Sacrament, I see the scar tissue of Christ. I see the scars He surely had as a young boy and as a young man. Ultimately I do see the scars from the Cross. Mystically I see His wounds healed, which reveal to me The Resurrection. Wow, I kneel before Him amazed. God himself stands proud to show us His scars. This is so powerful to me, for He is like me or I am like Him in this small yet significant way. The Host reveals to me a life of indescribable Sacrifice, Mercy, and Love, a life beyond human comprehension. Truly the scars of our own lives can reveal to us too a life of wonder and beauty.