St. Rose Philippine Duchesne in Anthem shared a reflection about having an encounter with God in its Aug. 3 church bulletin. 

“The readings this Sunday present three different kinds of encounters with God,” the piece read. “Elijah meets the Lord in Mt. Horeb, the mountain of God. Paul in the letter to the Romans meets the Lord Jesus in his conscience. And the Apostle Peter, his boldness strikes again meets Him walking on the waters.”

These encounters differ in specifics, which, when examined, we can apply to our lives. Man is created to long for the divine — for the living God — and we can only be satisfied by Him, as St. Augustine said. 

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“Because of this, man seeks to fill this vacuum, a longing that only God can fill,” the reflection read.

The challenge is that as God is too powerful and majestic for our finite minds to comprehend, seeing him would be impossible. 

“There is nothing and no one better in life than God,” the reflection said. “And His goodness is more than we can bear.”

While we can expect God to come down to us miraculously like he did at Mt. Tabor and the transfiguration, and Mt. Horeb with Elijah, we may never experience such a supernatural encounter in this life.

“But still, God is present, speaking quietly and intimately with him,” the reflection read. “He simply goes to stand in the presence of God’s whispering sound, and listens to the message of God.”

In the situation of Peter, we see God reassuring a feeble-minded person of his power and sovereignty over all, in his words: “Be not afraid!"

“In spite of being unsure, Peter decides to leave the boat and walk toward Jesus; leaving the boat means leaving his only security in this stormy night. But this is the way of Faith in Jesus,” the reflection concluded.