Jesuit Father Greg Boyle tells a beautiful story from his mother’s last days of life. He describes how she would wake up and see family in the room, light up, and say with delight, “You’re here! You’re here!”
When Fr. Boyle spoke at the Church of the Nativity in Timonium, Maryland, on Oct. 22 at a Catholic Charities event, “Journey to Social Justice,” he drew a parallel between his mother’s words and what he imagines God says when he sees us, taking us in with a tender glance. “You’re here! You’re here!”
I’ve heard Fr. Boyle speak before, and every time I have laughed and cried. The stories he shares are such a moving and powerful reminder of the love God has for us—for each of us. And he reminds us that we are called to love those we encounter just as tenderly.
As the stories from last week echo in my mind, I keep coming back to that phrase, “You’re here! You’re here!”
I love thinking of God’s love in that way, how he loves us simply as we are, with no expectation for what we might achieve, what talents or skills we might have, or who we might become. Our Father in heaven loves each of us fully and truly and completely.
Accepting that we are loved that deeply can be more challenging than it seems. Humans tend to put more limits and expectations on love. In my experience, it is parenting that helps you appreciate unconditional love in a new way.
Realizing that we are also called to love God that way in return might be even more difficult. Life can be hard, and it can be impossible to understand why bad things happen when we are doing our best. Life brings challenge and grief and struggle and sorrow. The other day I heard a song by Benson Boone, where he sings, “I’m screamin’ at a God I don’t know if I believe in/’Cause I don’t know what else I can do.”
God’s love is infinite, so he loves us even if we are doubting him or screaming at him. And, the truth is that even a person who is screaming at God is still saying, “You’re here! You’re here!”
And he is here, through the darkest moments and the happiest, the depleting ones and the affirming ones, the confusing ones and the clarifying ones. He walks with us in the sadness of a cemetery or in the joyous noise of a family party. He is with us every day, every step, every moment, loving us as we are.
We can experience God in numerous ways throughout the day if we are looking for him. We might find him in the sun sparkling off the changing leaves or the laughter of a child. We might discover him in the noise of a crowded room during the day or the silence when we wake up before dawn. At Mass, we might experience God’s presence not just in the Eucharist, but perhaps also in the smile of a stranger or the voices of the choir or the weary parents who are balancing a fussy baby and an energetic toddler.
Wherever we encounter God, how wonderful to imagine welcoming him with that simplest prayer, those lines from Fr. Boyle’s mother, “You’re here! You’re here!”
And what a gift to think of God greeting us that way in return, with joy and infinite love.
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