He is present

I was very moved by the quote from Don Giussani that appeared on the video of the New York City Way of the Cross, shown at the end of Chris Bacich's appearance on Life On The Rock. It is a good thought for this last weekend before what our Eastern Christian sisters and brothers call the Great Lent:

"He mounted the Cross to free us from the fascination with nothingness, to free us from the fascination with appearances, with the ephemeral."

These words were like a punch in the chest for me. It dawned on me that, for me, life without Christ is not life, it is nothingness. I had an encounter today with a woman whose love for Jesus and desire to serve Him are indescribable. She had an encounter with Christ, an event that became an encounter, a liberating experience that freed her from drug addiction over two years ago. She spoke about how Christ is tangible, a Presence in her life. This encounter moved me beyond that for which I can find words. I was struck silent before the Presence. I mean, I went to Mass twice today, once for the institution of those preparing to be ordained permanent deacons as acolytes, and once to celebrate the sixteenth anniversary of the re-dedication of the Cathedral. Both were moving, but my hour-long encounter with this person who understands that Christ found her was a step beyond both, a true encounter by means of a witness, who did nothing except tell me what Christ means to her, how the love the Father gives us in Christ has been verified through what she has experienced. She understands that "[i]n this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (1 Jn 4:10).

God is moving and asking me to follow. I am like the ones written of by the Psalmist, who at Meribah and Massah challenged and provoked God, even though they had seen all His works. I am grateful for both these experiences and for the ones whose witness attested to the Presence.