Msgr. J. Gaston Hebert
“Man, that was AWESOME!” How often have you heard that expression from a young person? It might be used to describe a reaction to a concert, a movie, a date or a really good meal. It’s uplifting to see someone excited, overjoyed, about something he has experienced. Some say that they are moved beyond words by something that is beautiful or touching.
We need more “AWESOME” in our spiritual lives. We need to be stunned by the omnipotence of God; moved by the beauty of his love for us; silenced by the wonder, mystery and the transcendence of his presence in our lives.
We seem to have lost the reverence we should have for the divine. Perhaps familiarity has, indeed, bred contempt. The ancient Israelites had reverence for Yahweh. When burning bushes spoke, when mountains shook, when seas opened, they knew they were on holy ground. “Be still, and know that I am God!” is not a chummy greeting. When the man reached out to steady the Ark of the Covenant and fell dead due to his presumption in touching the Ark, one could assume that we are meant to be humble before the power of God.
Even at the birth of Jesus, although he was a tiny baby of a poor family, the heavens rang out with the hosannas of the angels and the Magi prostrated themselves before the King of Kings. Awe and wonder! But in Jesus the infinite seems so vulnerable, so like ourselves. We call him our brother. He refers to himself as one who came to serve. “Learn from me for I am gentle and humble of heart.” We begin to have a very human love for this God made man who dwells among us. The awe and the reverence and the wonder give way to something more casual, more familiar.
Our liturgy prior to the changes of Vatican II was conducive to reverence. More people wore their “Sunday best,” and women’s heads were covered out of respect for the holy, the divine. The churches were quiet. People entered the pews and knelt in adoration before the Eucharist. They prayed silently before the holy Mass began. They were reverential.
Times have changed. Our sense of reverence has diminished. The dress of the churchgoer runs the gamut from formal to beach attire. For most, the dress code could most cordially be described as “casual.” While I would readily admit that clothes have little to do with holiness, they often betray an attitude. The attitude that a Catholic brings to Mass sets the stage for any possible spiritual encounter. The worshipper should be cognizant that he is on “holy ground,” that he is in the Eucharistic presence of Jesus Christ, that God’s revealed word is to be proclaimed, that once more the sacrifice of Calvary is to be renewed, and the stupendous truth that Jesus is about to enter his life in holy Communion. Armed with that awareness, an attitude of reverence should not be hard to accomplish.
A lack of reverence for God throws our spiritual lives out of kilter. If we revere God, we revere the commandments he has given us. We strive to be true to the covenantal relationship we have with him. He is our God; we are his people, the flock he shepherds. Sin becomes ugly to us as it offends him whom we honor in the depths of our hearts. If we fail to have sufficient reverence for God, it is all too easy to lose sight of our own dignity and that of others as “God’s holy people.”
God really is AWESOME! And all “things” which seem to inspire that reaction are only awesome in so far as they are a minute reflection of the glory of the Creator.
