5) THE FINDING

What was the biggest find in your life?

Is it a person, place or thing?

Have you ever been lost?

Have you ever been found?

Have you ever lost God?

Have you ever found God?

Have you ever looked for God?

A tourist walks into a famous cathedral in a foreign country as part of a guided tour of mostly retired folks. A ray of light from one of the stained glass windows is hitting a crucifix hanging by chains above the sanctuary. At that moment the tourist realizes he has lost his faith and now he has to begin to find it after all these years.

A junior at a state university sees a sign on a bulletin board about a weekend retreat sponsored by the Newman Club at the college – checks it out – attends the retreat – and comes back to church for the first time since his confirmation.

A woman is on vacation – playing miniature golf with her grandkids. And she realizes after 35 years of anger that she is only hurting herself by not going to church. When she drove to the parish office to see a priest after her husband died – 35 years ago, she saw the priest putting his golf bag and luggage into the trunk of his car. He said he was running late and heading to the airport. She hadn’t called. He said he was sorry he had to run. He gave her the name of the priest who was coming in that afternoon to cover for him while he was taking a week’s vacation. For 35 years she thought he should have dropped everything to listen to her. She now laughed at herself as she got a hole in one and her grandkids said, “Way to go granny.” She came back to church finally.

For Augustine it was listening to the sermons of St. Ambrose and in God’s good time picking up and reading Paul’s Letter to the Romans.

For Thomas Merton it was many experiences, but especially picking up and reading The Confessions of St. Augustine.

A woman finds a lost coin ….

A shepherd finds a lost sheep ….

A father spots a lost son from a distance on the road back home ….

And Mary and Joseph discovered they lost son, Jesus. They had left him back in Jerusalem. Each thought he was with the other. Such are the things that can happen when men travel with men and women travel with women – and their kids travel with either parent – as is the custom in Mediterranean cultures. And Mary and Joseph turned around, went back to Jerusalem together and found Jesus in the temple.

Jesus is everywhere.

Start looking! You just might find him.

Start looking. God might be looking for you?

Get found.