Face To Face

The LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as one man speaks to another. // Exodus 33:11

“If you think wormholes are crazy, wait until you hear about spaghettification,” he said before taking another sip of his beer. Everyone laughed, including me, because I thought he was making up a silly word. He wasn’t. The bonfire popped as I rotated my marshmallow and the science-y people kept talking about theories based on Einstein's equations. Phrases, concepts, and words which I thought had been created by the writers of shows like Star Trek and Doctor Who were being discussed like they were real, actual things. Because it turned out that they were actual, real things! I assembled and ate my s’more in wide-eyed wonder. The more I learned, the more questions I had. 

It’s also how I feel reading today’s Gospel passage about the end times (see Matthew 13:36-43). There will be angels? What will the angels look like? Will we be able to see them as they carry some away? 

Of course it’s good to reflect and ask questions, but sometimes we can just accept what knowledge we have and trust it’s sufficient. Like me and astrophysics . . . or the end times. 

Moses and the disciples were in privileged relationships with God. They met with Him face to Face, speaking to Him directly, asking clarifying questions (see Exodus 33:11 and Matthew 13:36.) That’s not how it is for us, but perhaps we are like the rest of the Israelites, standing in the doorways of our tents (see Exodus 33:8-10). We do not see a "column of cloud" (Exodus 33:10) but our Jesus in the Eucharist. We cannot hear His Voice, but we can listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. It's not the same, sister, but let us take our questions to Adoration and pray that the Holy Spirit will increase our faith, knowledge, and trust.