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Absent From The Body …
Submitted by Thomas Stidl
In one of Saint Paul’s letters, he writes about death and the fact that the soul has left the body to begin its final pilgrimage or journey to union with Almighty God. I believe that his writing is as follows, “Absent from the body, present with the Lord.” This is in deed true that all righteous souls are in God’s presence after death. As we move closer to our ultimate goal of union with the Lord, the brightness of his countenance purifies us even to the point that the purification of the soul can be painful. This is what is known as Purgatory for some.
Let us consider a different approach to the presence of God. Where is God truly present? All Catholics and Orthodox Christians believe that he is truly present in all the tabernacles of the world in the person of Jesus Christ. He is physically present within us when we receive the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. Through the process of transubstantiation the priest at the Mass changes the Bread into the Body of Christ and the wine into the Blood of Christ. After the Lord’s Prayer the priest takes a small of the piece of the consecrated host and places that small piece into the consecrated wine. Remember, even the smallest piece of that host is the entire Body of Christ. It is at that point that we celebrate the resurrected Jesus at Holy Mass.
Where else can we find God? We can find God everywhere. God is omni-present in our world. He is in the souls of all believers in the state of sanctifying grace in the person of the Holy Spirit. These souls are not living in mortal or grievous sin. God is in nature, all natural beings and plant life on this planet. An old catechism question from my youth asks if we can know by natural reason if there is a God. Yes, we can, because natural reason tells us that the world we see about us could only have been made by a self-existing being all wise and almighty.
However, let’s not stop at our world. The solar system, the galaxies, and the universe show the provident hand of God. Yes, it is true that when we are absent from the body, we are present with the Lord. It is also true that humans who are in their bodies are also present with the Lord. This includes the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. God is with us especially in times of crisis when most of us turn to Him. Maybe, it is time that we turn to God during our normal daily lives and share the good times and love with Him also. It never hurts to have a running conversation with God. Treat him as a caring friend. Then when we meet Him after our earthy pilgrimage has ended, He will put his arm around us and invite us into his Father’s House where there are many rooms and mansions.
Until next time, Laus Tibi, Christe. Deo Gratias. Gloria Tibi Domini. Praise be to God. See you in Paradise. Amen.
