Close to God

by Jodi-beth McCain, Director of Religious Education and Elementary Catechist

In conversation with the lower elementary children, I sometimes ask, “If you would like to share your thoughts with me, when or how do you feel closest to God?”  Here are some of their responses:

“When I’m baking – I love it!”
“When I’m with a priest or a peacemaker”
“Just being silent”
“Sunday at church”
 “On Fridays at prayer service”
Working with the “Fettuccia” (a material about the unity of the history of the Kingdom of God))
“When I’m in the atrium really;” or “When I’m in the atrium with you and other people I know.”
“Drawing – like [I do during] Bible Study”
“Silence in prayer service, silence in class, silence in church – also songs and prophecies”
“When I pray, which is mostly all the time.”
In “church. Sometimes when I pray at night or in the morning. Or closest when I’m by myself walking in the rain or lying down in the grass and looking up at the sky. Or at recess when I play soccer. And when I feel peace.”

Their responses frequently surprise me. Their earnest certainty invites me to open myself to the closeness of God in new and mundane places.

When or how do you feel closest to God?

Is this a place or an activity that you do or could share with your child?  As summer approaches and our days change pace, how might you find moments to celebrate the joy of God’s presence with your child?