Deacon Tom Writes,
“Close Encounters Of The Best Kind”
Today’s readings describe “close encounters” of the best kind...unimaginable
encounters that take place between God and man. The first one is the story of Daniel
and his vision of heaven in which he sees the Ancient One upon His throne...with flames of fire...and wheels of
burning fire... Daniel sees thousands
upon thousands ministering to this mysterious figure as the court was convened and the books were
opened. Daniel foretells the day of The
Lord, the day of judgment. He foretells a time when this Ancient One will appear coming on the clouds of heaven to receive dominion, glory, and kingship presumably
from those who have anticipated His coming. Daniel encounters the Living God in
all His glory during this vision and shares it with us so that we may
contemplate the fullness of God’s Glory and place ourselves in the service of
the Ancient One.
The second “close encounter” between God and man takes place during the event
we know as the “Transfiguration”,
when Jesus is revealed in His glory to the amazement of Peter, James, and John.
Throughout the course of Sacred Scripture God
breaches the gap between His dwelling place and our earthly abode. We see God
making His presence known to Moses in the form of the “Burning Bush” and again in the “Pillar
of Fire” as God leads the Israelites through their ordeal of crossing the
desert. When Jesus was being baptized in the Jordan, a voice from heaven was
heard to say, “This is my beloved Son”.
And, of course, we know that in the Person of Jesus, God took up a physical
presence in our world to teach us that above everything else, God loves us and
cares for us and that God’s greatest desire is for us to love Him in return.
As we continue on our spiritual journey we do
well to focus on deepening our relationship with God. Are we doing our part to
be mindful of God presence during the day, arranging some quiet time for our
own “close encounter” with God and by
making ourselves present to Him? That’s really all He asks of us, for us to be
present to Him so that He can be present to us; so He can reveal Himself to us
as the God who loves, who forgives, who shares our pains and sorrows, and who
longs to fill us with His peace, joy, and His love. May we all experience a
“close encounter” with our Lord and may that encounter be the beginning of a
deeper and liberating experience.
Enjoy the day!
Deacon Tom
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