10,000  STEPS  TO  GOD

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 5th Monday after Easter  is, “10,000 Steps To God.”

A lifetime question and wondering is this: “Is everyone really down deep a searcher for God?”

Is Augustine right when he said, “You have created us for Yourself, Oh God, and our heart is restless until it rests in You.”

We don’t know if that is true - we can’t research everyone -  but it was certainly true for Saint Augustine.  Check out his Confessions. We all have to read that at least once every decade of our life.

We discover it was also true for Paul and Barnabas whom we hear about in today’s first reading. The people of Lystra and Derbe wanted them to be the gods,  Hermes and Zeus - but they told the people, ‘We’re human beings. Don’t turn to idols. Turn to the living God who made heaven and earth and sea and all that is in them.”

It was certainly true for John if we read his gospel slowly and prayerfully - in these readings from him after Easter.

10,000 STEPS

I remember when I gave courses in Spirituality.  I had to look up and study and then present the thoughts of many spiritual writers.  I would show how often people drew up or listed steps for holiness and to reach God. There would be  3 steps, 4 steps. 7 steps, 8 steps, 10 steps to God.  Around the year 600, a monk named John came up with 30 steps - that one needs to climb to get to God. They ended up nicknaming him John the Climber - or John Climacus.

In AA and other 12 Step programs, there are 12 steps.

What I got out of these steps is that the search for God takes time - a day at a time, a step at a time. 

We’ve all heard the Chinese saying: “ A journey of 1000 miles begins with that first step.

The title of my homily is, 10,000 Steps to God.

It’s my learning from Spiritual Writers, and listening to people, life in pursuit of God takes steps. Sometimes it’s a step forwards. Sometimes it’s a step backwards. Sometimes it’s a step sideways.  Sometimes it’s a standing still and feeling stuck.

One day we think we found God. We feel we met God. Then at other times we feel we’re in a fog, we’re in a dark night - and God is nowhere to be found. In those moments prayer is boring. Prayer is 10,000 distractions.

Sometimes it’s all God.  A person makes a retreat…. A person goes to the beach …. A person goes to the Grand Canyon …. A person is in our Eucharistic chapel…. A person is taking a walk - and they are whammed in our head by a God experience.

Then again and a year later they have stopped taking the steps to find God.

The apostles walked the steps of Palestine with Jesus and most took off when the going got tough. The gospel talks about locked doors - and how Jesus - the Risen Lord - came through the walls and proclaimed Peace to these disciples.

I picked 10,000 steps because it’s like the El Camino in Spain - starting in France and walking and walking till a person gets to Santiago de

And people making that pilgrimage tell listeners - the experience is loaded with highs and lows and lows and highs - and lots of so so’s.

Life is like the rosary. It’s about mysteries - sorrowful, joyful,  glorious and light bearing mysteries.

APOPHATIC AND KATAPHATIC APPROACHES TO GOD

As you know there are two major approaches to God: the apophatic and the kataphatic approaches. I might as well use those words. They can be found in spiritual reading books - so I’ll give it a shot to use them and explain them.

Both are from Greek words to describe 2 major approaches to God.

We can get to know God from images and ideas about God - that’s the kataphatic way. Kata is the Greek prefix for with - like con in Latin. Kata with phatic - you can hear the word emphasis in the word kataphatic. God is Father, Mother, Shepherd, Mountain, Ocean, Door. The kataphatic way to God is an approach using images and pictures.

Then there is the apophatic way to approaching God. APO is the Greek prefix for away from.  It’s the stripping away of all images - many of which are in scriptures.  For example today’s gospel is all about the Spirit of God as an Advocate. Wonderful. I need a lawyer. I need a God. I need God.  But that’s an image and the image of God as an advocate is nice - but it’s not enough. So those who tend to be apophatic won’t use such an image.

Then again Jesus comes. The word became flesh. And Jesus shows us and tells us: the one who sees me, sees the Father.

So images help - and they can also have limitations. God can’t be an idol, an image, an icon.

So with the apophatic way we  have the quieting, emptying approach to God.  God is nothing we can imagine.  God is God.

With this approach we just be.  We stop walking. We just lay there in the dark night - especially when we can’t sleep - but we be with God - o we have our dark corners to pray. Or we come here to church and sit  behind a pole in a dark afternoon church and God is.

CLOSING STORY

The title of my homily is 10,000 steps to God.

It could be 10,000 stories to God.

Let me close with an experience of God that is still with me.

It was 12 AM and I’m in a dark chapel - all by myself.  I’m praying in the dark - in a back off to the side part of the chapel.  I’m saying some prayers - but mostly being quiet.

Suddenly, the center door in the back of the chapel opens.

Whoever it is, is quiet and doesn’t turn any lights on.

They go up to the front and into the sanctuary.

I’m being very quiet - no bench creaking.

I can see shadows now - because of the red sanctuary light - next to the tabernacle.  The person sits down on the floor and leans into the altar and faces the tabernacle.

Snap. Snap. The person opens up a guitar case and I can hear a guitar being taken out of a case.

The person strums their guitar and then the person starts singing a love song to Jesus in the dark.

Wow! I’m in someone’s sacred place. I would sneak out if I could. I couldn’t, so I just sat there in my spot in the back corner.

It was a woman.

She finished her song - became quiet - for about 5 minutes - put their guitar back in its case and then got up and walked out.

I stayed there till about 1 PM - just having witnessed another human being being in touch with her God.

Amen.