Ecclesiastes, chapter 3:1

“Where should I look for God?”

Most of us have thoughts like that. We believe that the Lord is present in the Scriptures and in the Eucharist; yet when we go to church do we experience His presence? We know from the gospels that Jesus is present wherever two or three are gathered in His name; but when we pray together do we find Him?

Moses discovered God in the burning bush. God is in the very fiber of everyday life; in the trees and in the bushes, in everyday experiences. This is what we learnt in catechism class when we were told that God is everywhere. Nature is God’s handiwork; it is God’s artistry at work, and on earth, mankind is God’s masterpiece; “lower than the angels; the paragon of animals.”

In ancient times, people believed that their gods were to be found in trees and bushes and in natural events such as lightening, storms and the gentle breeze. Theologians are careful not to identify God with the phenomena of nature because that would be pantheism; seeing nature as God. Still, we sense that God is also present in nature since He is the Lord of creation. We have become so accustomed to the concept that God is at home in heaven and in our churches that we forget that He is present everywhere.

Let us not mistreat the Lord of creation who made the rivers and the flowers of the fields. If we believe that God is everywhere, we have an obligation to treat everyone and the entire natural world with concern and dignity. We will think twice about polluting our lakes, about uprooting our trees, about dumping waste irresponsibly, about discriminating against anyone, anywhere and at any time.

We are all part of God’s plan. What fruit can we produce? Jesus gave us the answer when He told us to take care of each other: to feed the hungry; give drink to the thirsty; clothe the naked; visit the sick and imprisoned. These acts of kindness and generosity are the kinds of fruit that are the product of a good life, and they witness to the presence of God within us, and around us by how we love one another.

When Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well, He told her of a time when people would worship in spirit and in truth. The Samaritans worshipped on a mountain; the Jews were a temple people; but Jesus changed all that. He is the new form of worship; He is the living temple. Those who follow His example, worship in spirit and truth.

Fr. Hugh Duffy

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