February 8, 2019

My Journey to God

There is always a Presence in Church

The services are over and the church is empty of worshipers
You open the door to enter and the silence resounds
The faint odor of incense lingers like a soft airborne balm
Your footsteps echo as you process down the aisle.
There is always a presence in church

Church bulletins lie strewn among the pews
Hymnals are left on the seats and not in racks
Here and there are the remnants of children’s apparel
The candles flicker and their smoke spirals upward.
There is always a presence in church
You sit in the pew to begin your prayerful meditation
There is a feeling of weight placed around your shoulders
You look and see that there is no one physically there
Your eyes lift from your missal and focus on the tabernacle.
There is always a presence in church

Your faith tells you that Jesus is in the tabernacle
He is always present despite the otherwise emptiness
It is his presence that you felt sitting in the pew
You came to his house and he was at home waiting for you.
There is always a presence in church

Thomas J. Rillo
 

(Thomas J. Rillo is a member of St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Bloomington and is a Benedictine oblate of Saint Meinrad Archabbey in St. Meinrad.)

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