Encounter of a divine kind

So I recently had a beautiful experience that I would love to get detailed about but out of the respect of privacy I must not. However, the actual experience itself is not as important as the lesson to take from it.

What I can tell you is that I recently started up a conversation with a young woman and was left afterwards with a joy filled and content heart. Why is this? Because I had opened myself up to this encounter that the Lord had in store for me...well us.

You see, I didn't have to introduce myself to her and she didn't have to reciprocate the conversation I initiated. We were just both in a room together for a few minutes but I'd be willing to say that because of the openness we both had to the conversation, we left that room edified and better for having had it.

So naturally, as I am prone to do, I've been thinking. These kinds of encounters are awaiting us always if we just put ourselves in a position that's open to them. In The Weight of Glory C.S. Lewis says: “Next to the Blessed Sacrament Itself, your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses.” Wow! What does this mean? This means that we are each other's opportunity to encounter the Divine (that is the Creator who created each and every one of us with unique gifts and talents that point to Him).

But what does this mean for us in a practical application for everyday life? Well, I'd say its a challenge to say "hi" to that stranger on the bus or in class. A challenge to stop listening to music and listen to someone else's voice for a change. A challenge to be present to the people - the opportunities of encounter - around us.

We don't know the impact we can have or another person can have on us and maybe we won't ever even see the fruits from a conversation, but we need to encounter others and see them as the holy and divinely created beings that they (we) are.

Today we celebrate the Feast of St. Matthew who, before becoming an apostle, was a detested tax collector sitting at his post. But with one look - one encounter - his life was changed forever. Now we know that this encounter was so impactful because it was with Jesus Christ. So how does that relate to my blog post? Genesis tells us that "God created man in His own image." We are points of encounter for others, and they are the same for us. To reiterate what C.S. Lewis so beautifully states: outside of the Eucharist, Jesus Himself, the best opportunity we have to encounter something holy with our humanly senses is each other. That's powerful stuff.

So, like St. Matthew and the other apostles, go out as people who were sent for each other. Be a prayer warrior for your family, an accountability partner for your best friends, and a warm smile for a complete stranger. Be beacons of light, salt for the earth. Spread His love. His joy.

Like with St. Matthew, Jesus has looked on us with love. It's about time we start truly loving those that we see.

St. Matthew the Apostle pray for us.