As I knealed in silent prayer and in reverence during the consecration of the gifts this morning at Mass, I realized something small, yet profound. Once the gifts have been consecrated, the Eucharistic Ministers open the tabernacle and bring up any Hosts that have been left over from the previous Mass. As the golden bowl, called a ciborium, which holds this Heavenly Bread was taken up to the altar an image of the prophet Elijah flooded my mind.
A Familiar Scenario
Elijah is in fear of his life, for the people are seeking to kill him, so he flees to the wilderness and eventually to Horeb, the mountain of God. He scales this mountain—the same mountain where Moses had received the Commandments from God—and hides in a cave where the Lord speaks to him.
“Then the LORD said: Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD; the LORD will pass by. There was a strong and violent wind rending the mountains and crushing rocks before the LORD—but the LORD was not in the wind; after the wind, an earthquake—but the LORD was not in the earthquake; after the earthquake, fire—but the LORD was not in the fire; after the fire, a light silent sound. When he heard this, Elijah hid his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.” ~ 1 Kings 19:11-13a
We know God is almighty and that He has power that exceeds all, but He doesn’t reveal himself in a big show of glory. He doesn’t come to Elijah in the storm, the earthquake, or the fire, but rather in the light silent sound (some translate this as “a tiny whispering sound”). God is in the silence.
Just as Elijah hid his face out of reverence to God, I bowed down in reverence to Jesus Christ as he was passing by. And He wasn’t passing by in a miraculous display of power and glory either. The Son of God who rules over Heaven and Earth chooses to come to me not in the fire, the earthquake, or the storm. The God of the Universe, of all creation, comes to me in the form of a small piece of unleavened bread. In a sense it does show God’s power. In fact, He is so powerful that He need not show it off or abuse it. The power He wishes to portray to us is His humility and His desire to be with us.
Blink and You Could Miss Him
Often times we so are distracted by events in our lives—struggles, difficulties, and temptations—that we fail to see God. He is always there, but we don’t see Him. He is passing by and we aren’t paying attention. So we must keep our eyes on the prize and remember that God is always with us. We are as close to God as we ever will be in our earthly lives. He never abandons us, but it is we who push Him aside. We put God on the proverbial back-burner and give our attention to the the things we find more important in our lives. But what is more important than our relationship with God?
We all have responsibilities—some more than others—but as we walk this journey called life, may we remain grounded in our faith. May we remain centered on He who gives us life.
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” ~ Hebrews 13:8
We change, but He does not. He is always welcoming us back with open arms, just as on the cross. So should we choose to turn our backs or return the loving embrace? The choice is always ours to make, but may we strive to come back to Him.