It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, and with the awe and circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another—all our friendships, all our loves, all our play, all our politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations—these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit—immortal horrors or everlasting splendours.

This does not mean that we are to be perpetually solemn. We must play. But our merriment must be of that kind (and it is, in fact, the merriest kind) which exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously—no flippancy, no superiority, no presumption. And our charity must be a real and costly love, with deep feeling for the sins in spite of which we love the sinner—no mere tolerance or indulgence, which parodies love as flippancy parodies merriment. Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbour is the holiest object presented to your senses. If he is your Christian neighbour, he is holy in almost the same way, for in him also Christ vere latitat—the glorifier and the glorified, Glory Himself, is truly hidden. C.s S. Lewis – The Weight of Glory

Good morning, digital neighbors! Blessed Sunday to all! I think of this quote often, but especially on Sundays when I gather with my parishioners. I remind myself that after what I believe about the Blessed Sacrament, the next place of God’s indwelling—the next place where His hidden face is revealed—is in all the people I love and serve. God knows I am not perfect, but I do my best to give myself generously to my people and to take seriously the role of spiritual father. It is the entire reason I am called “Father,” which is my favorite job description. I don’t cling to it; it is something I try to live up to in the lives of my family of faith. Anyway, that quote by Lewis is always in orbit in my thoughts as I go about my days.

It is one of the reasons I am fond of my digital neighbors as well. The hidden face of God is at work through them, and if I am open to it, I may well be surprised. The hidden face of God has some stiff competition—human sinfulness, selfishness, and stupidity (the unholy trinity) can go a long way toward obscuring that hidden face, but they cannot erase it. Even the vilest of people can be recycled by God’s grace if they but turn to Him. A couple more quotes from The Weight of Glory to close this morning:

It is a good thing for the heart to be in love with something great.

We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be.