To some Catholic girlfriends, I recently posed the question: "Other than the obvious places like the Eucharist, Mass, and Adoration, where do you feel closest to God?" I figured we'd get a few of the same answers, but mostly various places/things, because we are all different. I was wrong. It was reversed. Almost everyone mentioned at some point:
1.) The sky. Specifically the night sky; especially when there are lots of stars out.
2.) Mountains, forests, lake-sides, beaches, basically nature. Specifically alone.
3.) Witnessing something truly beautiful, particularly new/young life.
Excluding Mass, Adoration, Confession, and the partaking of the Holy Eucharist, I feel closest to Christ underneath the night sky. You look up and it goes on forever. Forget the streetlights and the highway and that random guy walking down the street. Forget your house and the sink full of dishes. You just look up and you feel like you could fall into it. It looks welcoming and soft. You know when you were little and you and you'd run up to your dad and he'd kneel down and you'd hug? You're head would be in his chest, you could feel his heartbeat, his arms wrapped gently all the way around you, you felt safe. The sky looks like that feels, if that makes sense. It looks so close you could touch it if it stares long enough. Perhaps to some of us, the sky is a glimpse of what a hug from Our Father feels like.
The closest second for me is the witnessing of new/young life. I love children. The older I get (not that I'm an adult or anything, because we all know I'm still a child) the more I see what miracles they are. The more I see how beautiful and how precious they are, especially at Baptism. In that moment they are free from any trace of original or actual sin. In that moment, their soul is the purest shade of white that could be humanly possible, next to our souls after exiting Confession. They are so innocent. They rely completely on their parents/guardians to care for them. They can't survive alone. They know no evil. They understand no wrong. How God must be so proud of them. They are His sons and daughters, after all! How can I help but feel close to God when I am near His children, and my brothers and sisters in Him?
Then we have nature. It's beautiful. No cars, no lights, no airplanes or ambulances or phones or computers or people. It's a place of peace. You can hear life growing and continuing. You have everything you need, right there. No wonder hermits like St. Hyacinth and St. Augustine (I think...?) and St. Anthony and St. Charbel loved being out there alone. There was nothing to distract them from Our Father! No cussing or perverted talking or bullying or suicide or rape or abuse. Sure nature has it's own dangers, but you learn how to deal with those, right? It's easier to tame wolves than to quiet gossiping girls.
Now the question, why do you think these opinions were so similar?
Did you notice that all of these situations were
untainted? They were perfection. They were immaculate. There is no natural flaw in the night sky. There is no flaw to nature. There is no flaw in the soul of a new life. God is perfect, is He not? Can we fathom His perfection? No. So, isn't it natural that we would feel closest to Him in a place where there was a perfection we
can fathom? Think about it. Where do
you feel closest to Him?
