WHERE IS GOD?

Heaven Touches Earth 

The gospel passage for Yesterday's feast, the Chair of Saint Peter, included that famous quotation,

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“I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.

Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;

and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Mt 16:19)

As I was reflecting on that gospel passage I was reminded of that idea that I have mentioned in this blog previously: in both Jewish and Christian tradition there is this basic belief that “heaven touches earth.”

For Jews at the time of Christ, heaven touches earth in the Torah and in the Temple.  God is present in both of these in a special way. In addition they see God is acting in history, in such acts as delivering his people from Egypt, or knocking down the walls of Jericho.

For Christians, heaven has touched earth once and for all when God

took on human flesh and dwelt among us. We celebrate that presence as focused in a special way in the sacraments, but also in the idea that Jesus is present in others around us:  “Whatever you do to the least of my brothers you do to me.” 

God Touches Earth 

But it occurred to me this morning that maybe this idea of heaven touching earth is misleading and incomplete when stated this way. I find it more powerful to say instead, “GOD is constantly present on earth and in heaven.”

God is present everywhere, and in everything in creation. In trees and rocks in oceans, and in stars, and of course in each one of us who is created in the image of God. 

To deny that God is present in everything we would have to say that therefore God is not present everywhere in creation, that there are limits to God‘s presence! But a God who has limits cannot possibly be God. There are plenty of passages in the New Testament that point towards the belief that God is indeed present in each of us.

God is in ME!

So I have revised my understanding of the idea that “heaven touches earth“ by saying that “heaven and earth are touching in me,” that is, “God is living in me!” 

Saint Paul even says “It is no longer I that live, but Christ lives in me.” Let the implications of that sink in: I suddenly realize that I have to act as if God is present in me. What does that look like? For an answer me might look at the gospel assigned for today, the Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time:

Jesus said to his disciples:

“To you who hear I say,

love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,

bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

To the person who strikes you on one cheek,

offer the other one as well,

and from the person who takes your cloak,

do not withhold even your tunic.

…

love your enemies and do good to them,

and lend expecting nothing back;

then your reward will be great

and you will be children of the Most High,

for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

The whole New Testament is a guide for how we should behave if Christ is living inside of us. When we read or listen to the Scriptures, then, we might want to listen for those passages that are meant to teach us how to behave as if God is present inside of us. Let me end with this example from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount:

"Set no limits on your love, just as your Heavenly Father sets no limits on His love." (Mt. 5:48 Jerusalem Bible Rev. Ed.)