God of the Superheroes

I wish I had a spiritual life like that of my four-year-old son.

Like many boys his age, he has in the past year become fascinated with superheroes and all their extraordinary powers. For him, however, this has also coincided with a period of great new awareness of the presence and nature of God.

To my son, the two passions go together. For he believes that every incredible power possessed by a superhero is only second to God's.

"The Incredible Hulk has super strength," he will tell me, "but God is the strongest."

God is the ultimate superhero.

My son and I often eat breakfast quietly together in the morning before my husband and daughters are awake. Sometimes he will remark enthusiastically, "God is the strongest" or "God is the fastest" and then just stare out the window with a pleased expression. This idea obviously gives him a great delight.

I am reading the book Living Liturgy by Sofia Caveletti, the founder of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. In it she writes the following:

"Prayer of praise is like a cry of wonder and astonishment in the face of magnificent reality; it is the expression of enthusiasm in the presence of the greatness of God . . . Prayer of praise does not begin with the benefit received. Instead, the one who prays fastens on the person of God and is enchanted by God's goodness and greatness."

This is how Peter relates to God. To him, it is not about what God has done for him or what he wants Him to do. Instead, he marvels at God for who He is:

God is the strongest.

God is the fastest.

God is the tallest.

God is the bravest.

My own adult views of God may be more nuanced and sophisticated, shaped by studies in philosophy and theology. But so often the God I pray to is the God who I hope will fulfill my desires, or sometimes, the God to whom I am grateful for gifts. When do I ever sit and dwell on God for who He is?

I would give much to share in my little boy's delight in his God of the superheroes.