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However, I raise the question because it is clearly evident in our first reading from Ezekiel: “I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east … the earth shone with His glory…I fell prone as the glory of the LORD entered the temple. And I saw the temple was filled with the glory of the LORD.” So we can ask, is that our experience of church; our experience when reading scripture; the experience of our homes and work places; the experience of our relationships? For the glory of the LORD is certainly in all of these places. Indeed at the heart of Jesuit spirituality is the concept of finding God in all things. In essence that means that nothing is excluded from the spiritual life. This spirituality considers everything an important element of our lives---religious services, prayer, charitable works, family, friends, work, relationships, suffering and joy, as well as nature, music and pop culture. God is ever present, constantly in touch, communicating with us in the many ways just mentioned, but also through the events of our lives—through the people we meet and the work we do, through the things we see and hear, through our interior moods and affections, in our decisions and choices. It has been noted that “Ignatian spirituality seeks God’s voice in all the things of the world. It is the difference between a drab black-and-white movie and a feature film in full sound and color”—filled with God’s glory! Reflect for a moment on St. Ignatius’ own words. When asked how his followers were to pray Ignatius wrote: “…they should practice the seeking of God’s presence in all things, in their conversations, in their walks, in all that they see, taste, hear, understand, in all their actions, since His divine majesty is truly in all things by His presence, power and essence.” This same sentiment is found in Gerard Manley Hopkins’s observation that “The world is charged with the grandeur of God.” And again in St. Irenaeus’ belief that “the glory of God is a woman/man fully alive.” The glory of God, the presence of God, can be found in every dimension of our life; in everything, in everyone! All of this is implied in theologian Walter Burghardt’s definition of prayer as “a long, loving look at the real.” Even in this busy, complex, imperfect and suffering world we can find that GLORY of God of which Ezekiel speaks by simply taking a look around your own place and space and loving it. |