Fr. Kevin's Cluttered Desk
August 9, 2020
In the 1st reading from 1 Kings we remember Elijah and his encounter with God. And like many of us Elijah was not finding God where he thought God should be. We also can find ourselves looking for God in all the wrong places.
One of the rather strange things for me during this pandemic has been Tuesday evening adoration. It never ceases to amaze me how many people come in their cars to sit in the parking lot gazing on Jesus in the monstrance. There is a video for children, where the children ask Jesus why he is locked in the tabernacle. Jesus replies that no one locked Him in the tabernacle, rather that is where He desires to be so that we might always be able to find Him there. But that is not the only place to find Jesus, it’s a nice beginning but we are called to have the eyes to see God all around us. Can we see God in the creation of nature, can we see God in the beauty of a sunset? Can we see God in each other? For the Holy Spirit abides in each of us. The reality is that God is all around us, but can we see Him?
I believe that when we come before Jesus present in the tabernacle or on display in the monstrance, we open ourselves up to the greater reality of God present in the world. It is too easy to think of God as being somewhere else, of Him not being around for us to see and be present to. But when we gaze on the monstrance and open our eyes to see, then truly God can work wonders in our lives.
One of the first things we as Catholics are taught is how to look for the little red light in the church, check for the “Vigil light”. Is Jesus home? Traveling through Europe you will often walk into old churches where there is no little red light, the church is more of a museum than a church. There is more to it than Jesus being home, it is also about Jesus being present in the people and the people making Jesus present to each other. The people of God have often been pointed out as tabernacles of Jesus, but is my little red light shining and am I working at keeping it shining? When Peter tried to walk on the water, he lost sight of the goal, which is Jesus. He allowed the stuff of life around him to cause him to falter. Let us pray that our faith might grow to such a level that the light of Christ in each of us becomes a beacon that all can see.
Peace Fr. Kevin
One of the rather strange things for me during this pandemic has been Tuesday evening adoration. It never ceases to amaze me how many people come in their cars to sit in the parking lot gazing on Jesus in the monstrance. There is a video for children, where the children ask Jesus why he is locked in the tabernacle. Jesus replies that no one locked Him in the tabernacle, rather that is where He desires to be so that we might always be able to find Him there. But that is not the only place to find Jesus, it’s a nice beginning but we are called to have the eyes to see God all around us. Can we see God in the creation of nature, can we see God in the beauty of a sunset? Can we see God in each other? For the Holy Spirit abides in each of us. The reality is that God is all around us, but can we see Him?
I believe that when we come before Jesus present in the tabernacle or on display in the monstrance, we open ourselves up to the greater reality of God present in the world. It is too easy to think of God as being somewhere else, of Him not being around for us to see and be present to. But when we gaze on the monstrance and open our eyes to see, then truly God can work wonders in our lives.
One of the first things we as Catholics are taught is how to look for the little red light in the church, check for the “Vigil light”. Is Jesus home? Traveling through Europe you will often walk into old churches where there is no little red light, the church is more of a museum than a church. There is more to it than Jesus being home, it is also about Jesus being present in the people and the people making Jesus present to each other. The people of God have often been pointed out as tabernacles of Jesus, but is my little red light shining and am I working at keeping it shining? When Peter tried to walk on the water, he lost sight of the goal, which is Jesus. He allowed the stuff of life around him to cause him to falter. Let us pray that our faith might grow to such a level that the light of Christ in each of us becomes a beacon that all can see.
Peace Fr. Kevin
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