God Likes To Hang Out With Us

I remember as a youth sitting in a pew at Holy Rosary Parish as Msgr. Bilskie, founding pastor of Holy Rosary, would point to the tabernacle at his right during his homily and say, “Jesus waits for us in this tabernacle.  He is our personal prisoner of love . . . .“

That was over 25 years ago and yet I can still see him there, speaking those words.  They have remained with me throughout the years. 

I remember asking the questions: What is Jesus waiting for?  Why would the Creator of the entire universe, the Lord of all creation, confine Himself for us?  How can He fit in that little tabernacle?

Interestingly enough, there are times when I still walk into the quiet of an empty church, go up and sit in front of the tabernacle, and ask Jesus some of those same questions. 

The answer, though seemingly unanswerable, is quite simple.  Love.

God so loves each of us that He chooses to confine Himself for us.  He waits patiently for us to remove ourselves from the world for even a short time to be present with Him.

It stands to reason that the God who chose to confine Himself to our humanity in order that we might share with Him His divinity would also wholeheartedly choose to wait patiently for us in every tabernacle in every Catholic church in this world.  Most assuredly, our personal prisoner of love.  When we give thanks to God for our many blessings in this life, do we thank Him for the gift of Himself?  Do we ever just thank God for being . . . God?  Do we ever thank God for loving us so much that He is content to just hang out with us?

Whenever I walk into a Catholic church, especially a church in which I have never been before, my first action is always to find the tabernacle.  Why?  If I am entering into the very presence of God, I want to know exactly where He is seated so that I will know where to focus my attention.

I would guess that any one of us, myself included, were we invited to meet royalty, would be certain that we’re following the proper etiquette and practices involved with such a stately meeting.  And so it should be when we enter the presence of the Lord of Lord . . . the King of Kings.

I have to admit that I am taken aback every time I see folks enter the church and give the curtseyflect (this is my term for the half curtsey/half genuflection some demonstrate before entering the pew.  It is sort of a quarter knee bend/pew dive combination).  This is sometimes followed with the sign of the cross that closely resembles the swatting of a nasty fly buzzing about the face. I think if they realized or maybe just remembered that they were in the presence of God and that to genuflect and make the sign of the cross in a distinct manner are signs of fidelity to and faith in Jesus Christ, they would make more of an effort.  Sometimes, we all get into little habits without realizing it.  Of course, let it be known that my sin in all of this is that I am watching others instead of keeping my focus in prayer, where it should be.  I digress.

Life can be so full of anxieties, questions and uncertainties.  Let’s face it, even the strongest of you out there sometimes will shut the door, sit down and have to take a deep breath before moving on again.  You might not admit it, but even the strongest of you are comforted in knowing that you have someone to lean on.  It is God who answers the call, be it night or day, waiting for us in every corner of our lives.  He is as close to us as a brother and as regal as the Lord of the Manor.

As I sit in the quiet writing this, the sight of Msgr. Bilskie still comes to mind, though faded a bit by time, and I can still hear him say as he points to the tabernacle at his right… “Jesus waits for us in this tabernacle.  He is our personal prisoner of love…