AMDG

During the weekend of the 16th Sunday of Ordinary time (June 18&19) I had the wonderful opportunity of watching a family friend take his final vows of Chastity, Poverty, and Obedience into the Redemptorist order (Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer) and then I also was able to witness his ordination into the diaconate. It was truly a wonderful experience.

Perhaps however what I took most away from this experience was sitting somewhere else in church. Having grown up in the church where these masses were my family always had a habit of sitting in the east wing, "the family wing" however for both services Saturday and Sunday we sat in the nave. For the Saturday service in particular we sat on the far right side of the nave. Why is this so important, because this placement gives rise to why the title of this post is AMDG (a Jesuit, not Redemptorist abbreviated phrase). By sitting in this location I was given the perfect view not of the altar, but rather a depiction of Our Lady of Perpetual help (picture below thanks to friend Michelle S.)

Now my altar/Eucharist centered friends would deb likely to have a fit. Yet I think, and hope that I right, my Jesuit friends would find this "dissertation" to be as beautiful as I do. for 22 years, granted some of those years I was a small wee lad, I have been attending mass at this Church, I've even given tours of the church and pointed out this beautiful image of Mary, yet at when the church underwent some minor renovations, including painting and general upkeep the instilled around this image things of great beauty, which you can see for your self above. I was stricken, near dumb struck over this beauty. Then naturally as any theologian would, I began contemplating, which then lead me to a phrase, "find God in all things", this phrase, or Jesuit life motto then lead me to AMDG, the title for this post. A latin phrase, Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam, for the greater glory of God.

I don't think it was by mistake or simple happenstance that all this came together this particular weekend. This weekend had it not been a special mass for an ordination and final vows would have left us hearing a gospel reading from Mark (6:30-34) "Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while". Now remember I told you this was going to be a stretch, but isn't this exactly how we attempt to find God in our lives when we are too busy or too stressed, even simply too distracted?

We go on retreats to deserted places where we can rest and regroup, we find God out in the wilderness among nature. But of course this cannot be the only place we find God for we can also find him in everyone we meet, and in all of creation. Including beautiful buildings such as churches built upward pointing towards heaven. In the earliest days of great installations of icons and statues into churches this was not only the persons profession as a sculptor or the likes, but also it was their way of giving back to God... In some cases this was their only way of giving to God for they had little else to give.

So my challenge to you this week and for the next coming weeks, attend mass at a different church, try to find God there. If you are too reluctant to try this, then simply sit in a different area of the church you currently go to. Try to find God somewhere else in this space that you had not previously noticed! (Yes altar/Eucharist friends that even means taking a moment, or two to be wholly distracted away from the altar/Eucharist).

Peace and Blessings Always 

~ M

Finding God in all things!