Reflections on the Cathedral and God

The Cathedral is massive and on the central plaza of the city. It's actually the largest cathedral in South America. They certainly don’t make buildings like that any more with such ornate decoration and beautiful structure. Even the flooring has gorgeous detail! It’s strange walking around the quiet place in all it’s grandeur and emptiness. (Granted, it could be especially empty because people have been trying to stay in because of the swine flu. As a matter of fact, the La Plata church I've gone to canceled services for two weeks because of the virus.)

For me, God is not some distant being that dwells in stone. He is invisibly and intimately involved in the world. This big building is no more holy and sacred than a forest or a home. It's actually slightly sad to me that it becomes something of a tourist attraction. Certainly God is huge and beautiful, but arches and columns do not contain him. He is interested in life, not tradition. (That's not to say that tradition is bad, but in my experience it tends to lead to routine with little meaning.)

I don't mean to sound like I know a lot about God. Coming to Argentina has taught me that I know very little, scarcely anything at all. It's humbling and frightening. Is it even possible to believe in something you know next to nothing about? I say that I believe in God, but I struggle to really act in faith that he is who he says he is. If I really believed God, I wouldn't doubt his promises to provide for my needs and worry about tomorrow time and time again. If I really knew God, I wouldn't compare myself to other people. I would be drastically different in every aspect of life. So I'm praying for my faith to grow even if it only gets to be as tiny as a seed; because I want to know this God that designed, made, and sustains the universe. The God that was not content to leave humanity to its own devices, but patiently paved the way to a full life.