Living On the Streets

 As a priest, I often think that I am bringing God to people in the mass.  In does not occur to me, in those instances, that a person in that church building is bringing God to me.  God is often hidden in someone.  Like who?  A person walks or stumbles into mass and sits in the back.  They look rather disheveled.  That person has spent the night on the streets and fell asleep or passed out from some drink/drug.  My thought is, “Oh I hope they don’t disrupt the mass.”  At such a moment it does not occur to me that God is hidden in this person.  God is hidden in plain sight for me but my fear or judgment blinds me.  I bet that Jesus was rather repulsive on the cross.  How many times have I avoided or ignored a person lying or sitting on the sidewalk outside a church, so that I can go into church for a visit to God?  I just passes God in that person.  It is the same in recovery meetings.  Your Higher Power just showed up in that smelly, gruff person who walked in mumbling and disoriented.  Your level of recovery will lead to action or inaction.