I introduced the idea that PRAYER is the means that we humans have to encounter God. We should try and analyze this encounter carefully, because if we do not know the laws its follows we may let it slip away. It is always a mutual encounter. It is always a discovery not only of the other but of ourselves. It is always a relationship. Perhaps the best image for it is a stained glass window. The light shining through it shows up its design, its colors, its beauty and its meaning. But at the same time the window itself by its design, colors, beauty and meaning reveals for us the invisible light beyond it. Thus the window and the light are discovered in relationship to one another. Discovering God in his serene eternity and in the man of sorrows who was the incarnate word, is also a discovery of the greatness of man. When we discover the depths in man, we go beyond the front he presents to us and discover his destiny which is not individual but personal. This destiny makes him more than an example of humankind; it makes him the member of a mysterious body, the whole of mankind, which is where God’s presence is.

I wonder whether any of my readers have ever thought about this? Where is God discovered? In this creation, especially in humankind. It is His Spirit which dwells within each human person, calling them into existence. Even though they may not realize it and even though they may live and act in a way which is contrary to the presence of God’s Spirit in them, they never-the-less exist because God is within them. I know that many people find this had to believe and understand. Just because a person is unaware of God’s Spirit within them and just because a person does not act in accord with God’s Spirit within them, doesn’t mean that His Spirit isn’t there. The bad behavior of a person does not negate God’s Spirit within them. If His Spirit was not there, they would not be alive. This is important to think about. There is a lot of fuzzy thinking rampant in our world. A living person cannot drive out God’s Spirit within them because of their “bad” behavior. Their bad behavior, of course, blocks their awareness of God’s presence within them, calling them into real existence.

At the start, any man seeking this encounter with God is alone and must learn to recognize the existence of the other. This recognition must take place in a relationship and not in isolation. This is important. These are heavy thoughts. Think about them!