Healthy Living

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On The Presence Of God
© 2006
by

Stephen A. Peterson


On a hot July Sunday morning, Susie Valdez stood at her ironing board ironing her three children’s clothes in preparation for 11:00 AM Mass at Immaculate Conception Church in Seminole, Oklahoma. As she did so, Susie’s youngest daughter, 5 year old Maria, approached Patrick, the eldest, with a question: “Patrick, can anybody really see God at all?”

“Gosh, no, Maria! God is really far away up in heaven enjoying the huge palace He made a long time ago. So He hasn’t time to make an appearance on earth.”

Sunday came and went but Maria’s interest in wanting to know if anyone has ever seen God persisted. While enjoying her peanut butter and jelly sandwich, she asked her mother: “Momma, can anybody really see God?”

“Well, not yet, Maria. We cannot see God at this time because He is a spirit. God does live in the hearts and mind of those who believe and worship Him.”

After listening to her mother’s explanation, Maria a little more satisfied than she had been before. The business where her father worked gave everyone family passes to the Oklahoma City Zoo as well as to the Space and Aeronautical Museum. As the Valdez family relaxed and ate their lunch on the museum grounds, the question of seeing God came back to the mind of Maria. Accompanying her immediate family was Maria’s 106 year old great-grandmother.

Great-grandmother Hernandez was considered by her family and people far and wide as a very wise and intelligent woman. Although more than a hundred years old, grandma Hernandez was able to get around with remarkable ease. All during the outing, the family was having a great time walking through the grounds of the zoo and the museum. As the family walked through the aerospace museum, they passed through the exhibition depicting a constellation of stars. The exquisite beauty that unfolded before them caused Maria once again to wonder about someone having seen God. On seeing the face of her great grandmother reflecting such deep wonderment and awe at the sight of the stars made Maria think for a moment.

“Grandma, I wasn’t going to bother anyone, but I wonder if you can tell me something I’ve been wondering about for a while. Can somebody her on earth be able, in our time, to see God?”

Miss Hernandez sat for a while looking at the made up constellation of stars before she finally responded: “Great granddaughter I’ve lived a long time, according to human thinking, and maybe so. But it’s getting to the point that I can’t see anything but His majesty. And from where I’m sittin’ it wonderful! Wonderful!, indeed!”

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