Looking at the Floor

Before we go to bed each night, we try to work our way, as a family, through the Daily Readings. (The daily readings are simply the scheduled Scripture passages read in Catholic Churches around the world on any given day).

Anyway, typically, one of the kids (we've got 5--all under 10) starts us off with a prayer and then we move into the passages for the day.

Tonight, my oldest son prayed and when he finished, before we started reading, I asked them a question:

"What do you think about when Caleb's praying?"

They all looked at me with that blank look that kids perfect sometime around the age of 3. They were hoping--I could tell--that the question was rhetorical and that I'd just move on. But I didn't--I pressed them: "what do you think about when Caleb--or anybody--is praying?"

Well, the answers came trickling in at that point and the basic concensus was that they closed their eyes and thought about what the person was saying.

Funny--that's what I do as well. I sit there, close my eyes, adopt a posture of thoughtfulness . . . and I think about what so and so is saying.

How empty.

We're talking to God. Creator of all things. The one who made the flowers, the grass, the fields and the trees. Birds. Air. Clouds. The earth, the universe, the galaxies. God who has existed from all times--no beginning, no end.

We're talking to God--the same God who created Adam and Eve, who walked in Eden, who spoke with Moses from the burning bush, who parted the Red Sea.

We're talking to the same God who spoke when Jesus came out of the water at his baptism and when he was transfigured.

We're also talking to our Lord, Christ, who walked this earth as a real man. Who had dirty, dusty feet and who, from time to time, smelled like sweat. Who bled real blood and died a real death for us on a very real cross.

The same Lord who rose from the dead three days later and offered his hands and feet and side to Thomas.

We're talking to the Holy Spirit who has worked in our world and in our lives from the dawn of time. The same Holy Spirit who descended upon Jesus like a dove, who inspired the writers of the Scriptures and who guided the leaders of the early Church and Christians through all ages.

We're talking to God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

We're talking to the Triune God.

And yet, that's not the miracle.

The miracle is: He's listening.

And yet, all my family apparently does is sit there. And act holy. And think about what someone else is saying.

We're standing at a window that peeks out into eternity and rather than stand on our tiptoes and peek through the glass, we're choosing to keep our eyes on the floor.