There is a story of how St. Vladimir, Prince of Kiev, desired to know which was the true religion and sent his followers to search through various countries. They went to the Moslem Bulgars of the Volga; to Germany and Rome, where they found the worship more satisfactory, but without beauty. Finally they came to Constantinople, and attended the Divine Liturgy in the great Church of the Holy Wisdom.
They found what they desired. "We knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth, for surely there is no such splendour or beauty anywhere upon earth. We cannot describe it to you: only this we know, that God dwells there among menwe cannot forget that beauty."
Vladimir Christianized his realm: priests, relics, sacred vessels, and icons were imported; mass baptisms were held in the rivers; Church courts were set up, and ecclesiastical tithes instituted. "Angel's trumpet and Gospel's thunder sounded through all the towns. The air was sanctified by the incense that ascended towards God. Monasteries stood on the mountains. Men and women, small and great, all people filled the holy churches" (quoted in G.P. Fedotov, The Russian Religious Mind).
How wonderful a concept! Wouldn't it be grand if visitors attending our churches on a Sunday morning described us in the same manner? Is Jesus not present among us? Where two or more are gathered in my name, there I am in their midst (Matthew 18:20). Then there is the Sacramental presence in many mainline Christian Churches.
Consider this quote from Cardinal Bernardin, shortly before his death: "The priest stands on the horizon between God and the world; carrying the prayers, hopes, anguish, and joy of the People of God, and calling down the Divine Fire, the transformative power of the mystery."
We should be filled with awe as we join in worship on Sunday morning. God's presence alone should bring us to this encounter frequently.
Fr. Brendan McGuire in "Make Room for Christ" says that friendship is worth the frequent efforts it takes to maintain that relationship. Applying this to our relationship with God he ads, "We cannot expect it [our relationship with God] to change unless
we have Christ as one of our primary relationships [friends].
"If we have not seen our friend for years, then we should not be surprised if that person
has very little influence over our life today. That is not a shock to us." Some of us have a distant relationship with the Lord, McGuire says, and "keep him in storage like Christmas decorations and [only] bring him out for Christmas and Easter!"
That is not enough for the true Christian. By virtue of our Baptism we share in the priesthood of Christ, and we stand on the horizon between heaven and earth, "between God and the world", helping to bring the joy of the Divine Fire to the world.
