Life, we all know, is filled with unknowns; none of us knows the future. In our daily Christian walk, we encounter many different experiences along the road. Fortunately, most days we are on a straight, unencumbered path; routine dominates our day. Other days, however, we experience unexpected twists and sometimes sharp turns, detours, roadblocks and other impediments to forward progress. Some of these unexpected events are drastic and extraordinary, prompting us to ask why these experiences have come our way. Yet, if we think about it, we might ask a similar question as to why we experience the routine, ordinary events as well.

The encounters of daily life, both the subtle and the dramatic, the ordinary and the extraordinary, can be analogized to the many ways we find the presence of God. It is easy to find God in the dramatic moments when the Lord touches us, but we should be equally attentive to the more subtle, but nonetheless powerful, ways we can encounter the Lord, occurrences that often happen daily.

The Power of Yahweh

The Hebrew Bible is full of stories of God dramatically entering the lives of his chosen people, the Jewish race. The Book of Exodus alone presents numerous examples of Yahweh powerfully and directly interceding in human events, standing on the side of the Israelites. When Pharaoh refused to heed the Lord’s request, delivered through Moses and Aaron, to allow the Israelites to leave Egypt, Yahweh sent a series of 10 plagues to demonstrate his power (cf. Ex 7-10). The final plague, the death of the firstborn of both humans and beasts (11:1—12:36) convinced Pharaoh that he could no longer fight against the Hebrew God. The Israelites were free to leave, but Pharaoh’s change of heart allowed Yahweh to intercede, again dramatically, for his people — creating a passage for the Israelites through the Red Sea and drowning the Egyptians who followed (14:10-31). Later, when the Israelites were hungry and thirsty, Yahweh provided quail and manna for food (16:4-15) and water that flowed from a rock (17:1-7).

Extraordinary experiences of God’s presence continued as the Israelites conquered the Promised Land. The capture of Jericho (cf. Jos 5:13—6:27) and the Hebrews’ military victories over the various peoples who occupied the land manifested, in an extraordinary way, God’s support for his people. However, when the Hebrews, as happened many times, fell away from their loyalty and fidelity to Yahweh, the people dramatically encountered the anger of God. The Book of Judges tells the story of the up-and-down relationship of the Hebrews with Yahweh. Infidelity led to misery, but each time, God never forgot his chosen people, sending judges who brought victory and restored prosperity to Israel.

Dramatic encounters with God were also present with some of the prophets. Jonah, as we recall, was a reluctant prophet, running away from God and his assigned mission to the Ninevites. But Jonah encountered the Lord through a violent storm at sea and three days in the belly of a great fish (cf. Jon 1:4—2:11). His extraordinary experience transformed his thinking, and he eventually brought conversion to a group of rebellious people. Elijah called upon Yahweh to call down fire from heaven as a sign that Yahweh was the true God, convincing those who worshiped Baal of their misguided allegiance and ultimately leading to their deaths (1 Kgs 18:21-40).

Not Always an Earthquake

The dramatic ways in which the Hebrew people encountered God are obvious, but in many ways the more subtle, routine, seemingly ordinary ways that God entered the lives of his people are equally significant. The great prophet Elijah was told by God to go to the mouth of the cave and wait for the Lord to pass by. Possibly, Elijah anticipated that God would be encountered in some dramatic way, the great wind, the fire or the earthquake. However, the prophet found Yahweh in the soft, gentle breeze (cf. 1 Kgs 19:11-13).

Similarly, Naaman, the Syrian military commander, was told by Elisha that if he washed in the Jordan River seven times his leprosy would be cured. Initially he was skeptical, assuming that the Hebrew God could act only in dramatic ways. However, convinced that he should do as the prophet suggested, he was cured of his affliction. He returned and gave great glory to God for his miraculous recovery (cf. 2 Kgs 5:1-19).

The call of Ezekiel was indeed dramatic, with the prophet receiving visions of extraordinary creatures (cf. Ez 1:4-28). However, many of the great Hebrew prophets received their call in rather ordinary and subtle ways. Amos, an ordinary shepherd from Tekoa, was told by Yahweh to proclaim God’s word in the Northern Kingdom of Israel in the Book of Amos. Isaiah felt unworthy of his call but was purged of his perceived inadequacies and followed the direction of God (Is 6:5-8). Jeremiah was called while he was formed in the womb. He considered himself too young and ill-qualified, but the Lord told him to have no fear, that he would be with Jeremiah from the outset (Jer 1:4-10).

Encounters with Jesus

The New Testament also offers numerous examples of how we dramatically encounter the presence of God. Jesus’ raising of Lazarus from the dead (cf. Jn 11:1-44) was an extraordinary encounter for Martha and Mary and others who witnessed this great event. Jesus even says that he delayed his visit, after knowing of his friend’s illness, to manifest the glory of God. Similarly, Jesus’ action to raise the son of the widow of Naim to life was dramatic, prompting those who witnessed the event to explain, “‘A great prophet has arisen in our midst,’ and ‘God has visited his people’” (Lk 7:16). Of course, all of the numerous miracles described in the Gospels are examples of the way God dramatically enters into the lives of his people. Jesus’ curing of lepers (Mk 1:40-45; Lk 17:12-19), returning health to the centurion’s servant (Mt 8:5-13), curing the paralytic (Lk 5:17-26), restoring sight to Bartimaeus (Mk 10:46-52) and driving away many evil spirits (Mk 5:1-20) are only some of the many extraordinary ways that people encountered Jesus.

While these dramatic experiences of the Lord are significant, so, too, are many more subtle, routine, seemingly unimportant events narrated by the four Evangelists. The longest conversation of Jesus described in the New Testament was the Lord’s encounter with the woman at the well (cf. Jn 4:4-42). Jesus did nothing dramatic, but it was clear to the woman that she had encountered the Lord. St. Matthew’s description of the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5-7) was an apparently routine day of preaching for the Lord, but clearly the crowds that heard his words knew they were touched by the hand of God. When Jesus made eye contact with Peter after his three great denials, the Lord’s chosen leader realized his failure and “went out and began to weep bitterly” (Lk 22:62).

Unquestionably, the most dramatic encounter of humanity with the Lord was conducted in the most routine of ways. At the Last Supper, Jesus shared the ordinary elements of bread and wine, but also transformed them into his own body and blood (cf. Mt 26:26-30, Mk 14:22-26, Lk 22:14-20). It is the same miracle — seemingly so ordinary and routine yet so powerful and dramatic — that we perform each day of the year, save Good Friday, in the celebration of the Eucharist.

God’s Daily Presence

Christians collectively, but priests and religious in some ways more specifically, encounter the Lord daily. Some of these encounters are rather dramatic, extraordinary and easily recognized. All people can readily see in some fashion the presence of God through natural disasters and dramatic events. The dynamic forces of God’s creation often generate explosive power manifested in earthquakes, tornadoes, tidal waves and hurricanes. While destructive, these natural events of our earthly environment are clearly encounters with the Lord. Similarly, dramatic events of any nature — the birth of nations, the destruction of war, and the elation of success and achievement, whether it be in business, on the athletic field, or in the classroom — are significant encounters with the Lord.

Priests and religious can encounter the Lord in very specific and equally dramatic ways as those seen in the natural environment. The sacraments, while seemingly rather routine, are nonetheless dramatic signs that allow us to encounter the Lord. Celebration of the Eucharist, as mentioned previously, is certainly the greatest and most profound encounter with the Lord. The opportunity to baptize someone, to counsel a repentant sinner, to witness a marriage, or to bring spiritual and possibly physical healing to others through the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick are significant encounters with the Lord. While the celebration of sacraments by a priest provides a significant gift of grace to the recipient, those engaged in ministry know well from numerous experiences that in many ways the greater benefit from sacramental signs is provided to the minister, allowing him to discover the Lord. As Father Henri Nouwen put it in his book that addressed the topic, priests are “wounded healers.”

There are equally powerful encounters with the Lord which we often do not recognize. Visiting an individual in the hospital, nursing home or similar facility can be for many a great encounter with God. Openness to what God may bring in such encounters will reap incredible benefits for the minister. A casual conversation, after Mass, in the rectory or in a more general location, such as a market, bank or drugstore, can often be a powerful encounter with the Lord.

Our daily prayer life, through the Liturgy of the Hours, the Rosary, and various ways in which we lift our minds and hearts to the Lord, should also be a fertile field for encountering the Lord. Reading and meditating on the word of God, asking what the Lord is saying to us today, is a routine, yet in many ways extraordinary, way of encountering the Lord. Spiritual reading or viewing a religious television show or movie can also bring us closer to the Lord. We should never discount any opportunity to encounter the Lord. While we might not as readily or easily recognize these more subtle actions, they can, nonetheless, be as dramatic and powerful as the extraordinary ways in which we encounter God.

We encounter the Lord daily, both dramatically and subtly. It is easy to recognize the power of God in the more dramatic moments of our lives, as it was obvious to those in biblical times to find the Lord in the extraordinary. It is important, however, for us to recognize and appreciate more fully the Lord’s presence in the seemingly routine and ordinary occurrences of life. These rather subtle encounters may, in many circumstances, be even more powerful. Let us always be attentive to the power and presence of God in the many ways the Lord comes to us.

FATHER RICHARD GRIBBLE, CSC, is a priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross and presently serves as a professor of religious studies at Stonehill College in North Easton, Massachusetts.