In this passage, the prophet Elijah stands on the mountain and waits for the Lord to pass by. Elijah expects to find the Lord in the mighty elements, but then realizes that the Lord is not in the violent storms. Instead, God is found in the “silent sound.” I see myself in this passage–too often I find myself waiting upon God in the big adventures of life instead of listening to Him in the simplest moments.
A few months after graduating from UP, I came back to Oregon to satisfy an unmet goal: summiting one of the mighty Oregon mountains, the South Sister in Bend. I set out on the journey and, although there were moments of exhilaration and wonder along the way, my deepest feelings were of restlessness and discomfort surrounding my departure from UP, a place of immense joy and growth for me. During the ascent, I was expecting this “mountaintop experience” where I would feel the intense joy and wonder of God’s creation and His love for me. But although the summit was glorious by all standards, my soul was lacking peace.
This moment of restlessness led me to reflect–what were those simple, silent moments where I needed to encounter God? For me, those moments are rooted in prayer and the Eucharist, which is often called the “Source and Summit” of our Catholic faith – meaning that all things come from Christ, present in the Eucharist, and lead to us encountering Him there. The Catechism says that “in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself.” When we receive the Body and Blood of Christ at Mass, we are receiving food that nourishes our body and soul and gives us the graces of right relationship with Him.
Peace fully returned when I realized that I encounter God most fully not in the (quite literal) summit of a mountain, but in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Pope St. John Paul II had a great love for Eucharist, saying that “(Jesus) is waiting for you when nothing else you find satisfies you…it is He who provoked you with that thirst for fullness that will not let you settle for compromise; it is He who urges you to shed the masks of a false life.” For me, my “thirst” is for Jesus, the Source and Summit, who I know will be guiding me in my new journey in post-graduate life. Jesus is hidden in the simple, silent appearance of the Eucharist, but is always there to meet, renew, and restore us.
It’s easy for us to miss where the Lord is hidden in the quiet moments. How is Jesus calling you back into His presence?
Reflection by Annie Voegele '19
