Returning to Wonder Through the Eucharist

"The inability to fully know God is not the source of eternal frustration; rather, the experience of eternal contemplation is fulfilling in itself. In [Thomas] Aquinas's words: 'Nothing can be wearisome that is wonderful to him that looks on it, because as long as we wonder at it, it still moves our desire. Now the created intellect always looks with wonder on the divine substance, since no created intellect can comprehend it. Therefore, the intellectual sub-stance cannot possibly become weary of that vision.' In Aquinas's description of the beatific vision, the human faculties remain active and find happiness in the unceasing activity of contemplating God. God's overabundant nature remains incomprehensible as it forever moves the intellect's desire to know it and satisfies the mind in the experience of wonder. Even in the eschaton—in "salvation" or "heaven"—humanity enjoys an everdeepening coming-to-know-God that is never exhausted. The human posture toward the incomprehensible mystery of God does not aim to control or reach exhaustive comprehension; rather, the goal is wonder itself. (Fletcher, Jeanine Hill. The Lion, the Wicked, and The Wonder of it All. 2007).

What does wonder do? What is the purpose?
We sometimes have experiences in life that are “mountain top,” in which we experience God in a very profound, powerful, moving way. However, most of life is made up of mundane, routine experiences in which we can easily get lost, forgetting or neglecting to see not only what is right in front of us but also what is to the left and right of us, behind us, above us, and below us. The business of life easily becomes the busy(ness) of life. To return to a sense of wonder is to welcome the Holy Spirit’s ability to intercept our vision in order to realign our sight to see everything around us. In so doing, the Spirit of God repositions us to experience the presence of God in everything created. As we reflect and meditate on God as we see him in Scripture, creation begins to reflect back to us what our minds are meditating upon as we read.

So what?
The original intent of God’s plan was that we would live with him and others in relationship, in creation, experiencing all of the glories that he had created. Obviously, we experienced a bit of a bump in the road and, now, both humanity and creation itself experience the effects of the fall. Fortunately, that speed bump will be leveled out in the culmination of all things, but for now, we still experience separation from God’s original intentions. However, taking the time to wonder at creation, to meditate upon what we see reflected in it, we can catch glimpses, though through a glass darkly, of what was the original intention.

Now what?
When we partake of the body and blood of Christ in communion, we should be encouraged to wonder at what is around us. What do you see to your left, to your right? What do you see out the window? What do you smell? What do you taste? What do you hear? Everything that our senses experience in creation was made through Jesus. In Colossians, Paul writes, “For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross” (Colossians 1:19-20).

Therefore, as we partake in communion, let us remember that God has reconciled to himself all things through the broken body and poured out blood of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.