In his 2003 article titled “Reading The Signs of The Times”, Ron Rolheiser writes about recognizing God in everything.

“Jesus challenged us to “read the signs of the times”. The challenge here is not so much to have an intellectual insight into a particular event as it is to see the finger of God in that event. John of the Cross says: “The language of God is the experience that God writes into our lives.” To read the signs of the times is to look at each event of our lives and ask: “What is God saying through this event?”

Ron makes it sound almost easy.  But for myself it has taken a lot of work and a lot of prayer.  It’s taken conscious effort.  And like the tides there is an ebb and flow in that – awareness of God in all is not always there – but at least God is there!

Of late it has been the letters of St. Eugene de Mazenod that inspire me to look at the events in my life – almost in a whole new light or perhaps with slightly new eyes.  I don’t believe that God causes things like wars and terrorism, illness and violence to happen; but I do believe that God is there in the midst of it, there, waiting to be recognized.

I have long prayed that I might see through the eyes of Jesus – especially when I look back at the events of my life.  To look back or to look at the now – to look and read at what God has written into my life.  I could write a hundred blogs and still not be done with it.  It seems that each conversation begins with a whispered ‘Beloved’….