The Palpable Presence of God

I know of no greater practice in the spiritual life than the practice of the Presence of God.  To be aware on a daily basis of His Presence to me -- not just to "us," but to me personally and directly -- is the greatest gift we can receive from God. 

There are many wonderful religious practices around the world, and of course all of them are designed to bring man to God and God to man.  I just returned from a trip to Russia and Estonia, among other countries.  In every country, I saw fabulous churches of great and awesome beauty -- some were actually houses of prayer, and others had been restored or preserved as tourist attractions, as museums.  When we were privileged to enter a house of worship, it was immediately evident, even to the non-believers among us, that the Presence of God dwelt there --- not something we experienced in the museum-churches.

We arrived in Tallin, Estonia, on the Feast of St. John the Baptist, a great holiday observed all throughout the northern European and Baltic countries.  It is equivalent to our Fourth of July, except that in Europe, all businesses close, no matter how many tourists are in town.  The residents go out to the countryside to enjoy the day with their families, and many of them begin the day with a religious service.

When we arrived at the Eastern Orthodox church in the center of town, up on a hill, the 10:00 a.m. service had just begun.  The women among us were warned that we must cover our heads; scarves were provided at the entrance of the church.  Men could not enter with covered heads or shorts.  Entering the church, one immediately felt the Presence of God.  There were no pews; everyone, including the elderly, stood as close to the sanctuary as possible and followed the elaborate chanting with devotion, bowing profoundly at each "Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit," which seemed to occur about every two or three minutes or so. 

We were transfixed, not only by the beauty of the church and of the service, but by the palpable presence of God in that place.  Scripture says that God inhabits the praise of His people, and anyone walking even casually into that place would sense the truth of those words.  There was a presence in that place that we did not experience in the church around the corner, which was open as a tourist attraction.  Though that church also holds religious services, it does not seem to be as much a place of worship as a place for people to gather as a community and hear a sermon from a learned man.

Which brings me back to my opening statement.  All pursuit of God is worthwhile, no matter which form it takes:  novenas, listening to sermons, reading and thinking about philosophy and theology, penances, structured prayers, etc.  But none of these things necessarily leads to the actual presence of God in our lives.  Praise and thanksgiving -- worship -- seems to be the entry point of the presence of God to us experientially and personally. 

The peasants and townsfolk who were following the service obviously had the Presence of God in their hearts.  They were worshipping God in a way I don't often see in America.  And He obviously was in their hearts and minds -- there was nothing in these people about fulfilling an obligation; they were enjoying a peace that passes all understanding. 

All of us tourists for that moment had no concern for moving on to see something else.  For one moment -- actually about 20 minutes --- we were all standing in humble awe at what we were experiencing, and it was difficult to tear ourselves away from that palpable Presence. 

More on this topic tomorrow.