Experience and Awareness of God

 

A few weeks ago, I preached on the distinction between being aware of God and experiencing God. I find this notion personally very helpful so would like to develop it here a little further with the hope that it is as beneficial for you as it is for me. Most of us probably have a favorite sports team. On a given morning we could become aware by reading an article in the newspaper or online that our favorite team won a game the previous evening; or even better, we could have been at the game and actually experienced our team winning the game. There is a huge difference between being aware that our team won and experiencing them winning.

 

In the same sense, there is a difference between being aware of God's presence and having an experience of God's presence. Experiencing God is pure gift. It is not something we do or acquire but is something that is given to us. The only thing we can do is open up to the experience. For most of us an experience of God is a fleeting experience. It is also an experience we do not have control over. We experience God and it is then over.

 

For example, like St. Francis we may have a momentary glimpse of God in creation. We see a gorgeous sunset and suddenly experience God, the creator of it all. But then in a brief moment, the experience is over. A little over a year ago I was visiting the Grand Canyon, standing in awe of its spectacular views. A woman whom I did not know came up and stood near me. She said out loud, “I cannot look at this and not experience God.” Her words captured my experience as well.

 

In a very brief moment, we both walked away in different directions, and the experience was over,

 

Like St. Vincent de Paul we might see a very poor person and hear Jesus say to our hearts through the person, “I was hungry and you gave me to eat.”  Or on a Sunday morning, we might hear a scripture passage or a homily and experience God speaking at that moment directly to us. These are experiences of God. They are more than simply being aware that God is present.

 

When Mother Theresa of Calcutta spoke about seeing Jesus in the sick and the dying, she was, I believe, speaking about an experience of Jesus and not just an awareness of him.

 

If experiencing God is a gift and not something we accomplish on our own, an important question becomes, how do we open up to the gift, to an experience of God? I think that we do this by bringing both faith and expectation to our search for God. This is what the sisters of Mother Teresa of Calcutta did as they prayed before going out to work among the destitute and dying. They prayed to God in these words: “Though you hide yourself behind the unattractive disguises of the irritable, the exacting and the unreasonable, may I still recognize you and say 'Jesus, my patient, how sweet it is to serve you.’ ” I believe that they were asking God for more than just an awareness but for an experience of God. They had both faith and expectation and then simply waited upon the Lord.

 

We can ask God for the gift of an experience of his presence but we cannot control when or whether it happens. It is not something to be run after but something to be open to.

 

In contrast to an experience of God, an awareness of God is something we do have some control over. An awareness of God is being fully in the present where God is. We know that God is wherever we are, that God is present right here, right now. All of us can be present to God, who is present.

 

There is a story told of two boys who were having a "theological" discussion. The first boy said, “I will give you an orange if you show me where God is.” The second boy responded: “I will give you two oranges if you show me where God isn't.” The Scriptures tell us that Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us. This is not just a theological statement but it is a promise. God promises to be with us and God keeps his promise. God is wherever we are, just waiting for us to be aware.

 

Many saints and spiritual writers spoke beautifully about being aware of the presence of God.

 

• “God disguises himself so that we may reach that pure faith, which enables us to recognize him under any appearance.” –

Rev. Jean Pierre de Caussade, S.J.

• “We must try to keep God in mind so that our hearts become accustomed to taking pleasure in him.” –

Georges Lefebvre

• “God clears his throat while hiding and so gives himself away.” –

Meister Eckhart

• “All harm comes from not understanding that he is near.” –  

St. Teresa of Avila

 

These quotations refer, I believe, to an awareness of the presence of God, not to an experience of God. Sometimes our awareness through God’s grace turns into an experience of God. Regardless of what happens we thank God for he is always present, whether we experience it, are simply aware of it or are unaware of it. God is always present.