Shout of the King

Sometime during my early Catholic school experience, I had to memorize portions of the Catechism.  I don’t remember much of it now, but I do clearly remember one simple question, “Where is God?” …which was answered with the equally simplistic response, “God is everywhere.”  How that was possible, I couldn’t begin to understand.  God seemed far away to me…    beyond the clouds, maybe beyond the stars.  I imagined my prayers to Him drifting slowly upwards and dissipating into vast darkness of space.  It seemed… that I never heard back from Him.  But, in the summer of 1974, that began to change.

In a time before I had purposely committed my life to God, He “spoke” to me in an almost audible voice, an experience that is difficult to convey in words.  During the summer following my high school graduation, I was picnicking with a friend on the property of the Banksville Community House in Banksville, New York.  We had each ridden our bikes from our homes and met along Banksville Road to find a place to stop for lunch.  We chose to sit under an apple tree on a gradually sloping hill adjacent to a children’s playground.  As I was contemplating the beauty of the day; the extreme blue sky, the leaves of the apple tree blowing in the gentle wind; the bright sunshine that warms the earth; I heard a “shout”…              It was as though God shouted to my mind in a voice that my ears did not hear, in a single syllable, in a word, a language I did not know.  The meaning of that “word”, the impression that it left in me, was that all of this, all of this surrounding me, all I could see…        was God’s creation!

So…    fast forward ahead almost 20 years.  I am coaching my son Tim’s baseball team and the schedule for today’s game lists the Banksville field as our venue.  I couldn’t even remember where in Banksville there was a field, but as I read the directions to get there, I recognized the familiar Banksville Community House.  At the bottom of a gradual sloping hill was a small baseball field which I never remembered being there.  After the game, as we were approaching the parking lot, I stopped at the nearby flag pole and read the inscription in the base.

O Lord

How manifold are Thy works!

 In wisdom hast Thou made them all; the earth is full of Thy riches.

Psalm 104:24

Father Almighty, Wonderful Lord,

Wondrous Creator, be ever adored;

Wonders of nature

Sing praises to You,

Wonder of wonders –

I may praise too!

MB

I was amazed!  It was at this same place 20 years earlier that God spoke to me through His creation!

The following year, we again returned to that field during the baseball season.  I was stunned to see that the flag pole had been replaced with a brand new flag pole, but without that beautiful Scripture and poem.  God made sure I was able to see that flag pole that had been there for so many years and then, during that following year, it was gone.