Hidden Universe IMAX poster
This particular documentary revealed some new technological breakthroughs in telescopes. At first, I thought this would be a tedious hour, but soon the images that these new telescopes captured ended up capturing my interest. Our eyes are amazing and help us to see stars when light pollution does not get in the way, but even with a high definition ocular telescopes we cannot see many parts of the universe. With the advent of new telescopes (primarily microwave) we are learning so much about what has been right in front of us our entire lives. There is a hidden universe made up of invisible matter, which shows how stars collapse, how the universe still expands, and even what our galaxy may one day look like. A hidden universe exists not just out in space though, but all around us too.
When I was younger I had a priest who was a great mentor. One day we sat down to talk about discernment and whether ordained ministry might be right for me. I told him that I loved being in community with other people and that was part of why I felt the call to the priesthood. He asked if I knew where community originated. Wanting to give a good answer I made up something about the early church. While he appreciated my attempt, his response was that God’s nature is communal. That from before time, before creation, before anything God was in relationship with God. As a 20 year old kid, my head was spinning and I could barely keep up with the rest of our conversation.
I still have a hard time understanding what my priest said about ultimate reality. My mind cannot make sense of this imperceptible data. Yet, I believe that like the hidden universe that we are now finding, God’s reality penetrates this created world in ways that we cannot always fully comprehend or understand.
In today’s Gospel Jesus says that Abraham rejoiced at Jesus’ coming, and he says, “Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.” These kind of statements make my head spin. If someone told you that they had spoken with a long dead religious figure how would you respond? And yet, I believe that God’s reality does not always compute with our senses. Jesus’ presence permeates throughout the present moment, yet sometimes we can be so obtuse missing that he walks right beside us. Jesus was before time, he was the one through whom all things were made, he is part of that original community that is within I AM.
Later on in other meetings with my priest he asked me if I had ever felt the power of the saints during a moving service or a powerful moment. I thought he was a little bit off of his rocker at this point, but the more I thought about it the more I thought he was on to something. When my grandfather died I could feel his presence leaving before I knew medically he was dead. From time to time since his death I felt that same presence of my grandfather. Sometimes on Sunday mornings the collective beauty of St. John’s congregation singing makes me feel that we are not making a joyful noise alone. As I sit in silence early each morning when I am still I can hear a whisper of a voice calling me closer, deeper.
Just because we cannot see it does not mean that it is not real. The saints dwell all around us. God’s spark burns within us. I AM is the ultimate reality that we might not be able to perceive with our eyes, ears, nose, mouth, or skin. There is a hidden universe around and within each of us, will we stop to observe with our hearts and souls its wondrous existence or will we rely solely on our physical senses?
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