In the Book of Exodus, we hear that every time Moses speaks with God his face becomes radiant.
As Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the commandments in his hands, he did not know that the skin of his face had become radiant while he conversed with the LORD.
I have found that people who are very close to God have a certain light in them—literally, their eyes seem to “shine.” Just watch a clip of Fulton Sheen, a very holy American priest who had a television show in the 1950s and 60s. When he speaks his eyes seem to glow. When I see that in a person, I listen up. But back to Moses . . .
Because he became radiant after his conversations with God, he covered his face with a veil when he walked among his people:
Then the children of Israel would see that the skin of Moses’ face was radiant; so he would again put the veil over his face until he went in to converse with the LORD.
This idea of a “veil” is used in Catholic teaching to illustrate the barrier between heaven and earth, the “veil” between us and God. No matter how close you get to Our Lord, as long as you walk on this earth, that “veil” stands between you and Him. We “see” and we “hear” God—but only partially. The fullness of communion with Him comes in the afterlife.
However, it’s also true that the closer we get to God, the thinner that veil becomes. And the thinner that veil becomes, the more joy and peace we have here on earth.
Despite what the world promises, the happiest people on earth (by far!) are those closest to God—not the rich, famous, or powerful. Why is that? Because God is pure love, and to be in His presence brings with it deep joy and peace. This is why the eyes of holy people shine the way that they do, and that is why Moses’ face became radiant when he stood in the presence of the Lord.
As my wife and I were growing our family, we intentionally sought out and created what I call “Islands of Goodness,” meaning places in this world where God is present. The Irish have another name for it—a “thin place”—referring to those places where the veil between heaven and earth is thin. I have been to such places in my life, and I still seek them out to this day, both for myself and my family.
Allow me to illustrate: when I was single, I’d “vacation” in Kolkata, India, right before Christmas. (Yes, you read that right.) Kolkata is a very poor and chaotic city, but the Kolkata served by Mother Teresa and her sisters was indeed “a thin place”—a place where God was close.
Thus, I’d “vacation” there and serve the poor with the Sisters of Charity . . . which made absolutely no sense to my NYC banking colleagues. What they didn’t understand was that, when I was in that “thin place,” I received something that no other vacation spot in the world could give to me; I felt the real and tangible presence of God.
Additionally, the people I encountered in Kolkata, both the nuns and the volunteers from all over the world, were very special. It’s refreshing to be around authentically good people, especially when working in a cutthroat business or industry. The people I encountered in Kolkata brought me hope, they embodied the love of God, and in doing so they refreshed my soul, unlike any beach vacation or cruise ever could.
As Catholic parents, it’s our job to create the “domestic church” in our homes, meaning that each home should itself become a “thin place,” a sanctuary from the world.
How do we do that? By relying on God’s grace through daily prayer, weekly Adoration and fasting, monthly confession, frequent reception of the Eucharist, and by intentionally uniting one’s family in and through these prayerful practices.
We all must come to grips with the fact that we are flawed. This is why it is only by God’s grace and our cooperation with it that we can create a “thin place” in our home. Doing so is within our grasp, but only if we rely on Him. Such a place cannot be self-manufactured.
Prayer, the sacraments, spending time with the Lord—it all has a way of changing us. It is a life-changing practice to sit before Him in the Blessed Sacrament. A friend of mine, a Carmelite priest, once told me that Adoration is like radiation—like the sun when you sit on the beach, or even like chemotherapy for the cancer patient, shrinking his or her cancer cells. The same thing happens when we sit before our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. God radiates His love upon us, and as a result we start to change. Our faces start to shine and emanate His warmth; our cancerous sins begin to shrink.
Our world can seem very far from heaven at times. Sometimes we ourselves feel far from it. But heaven lies in wait—we only need God’s grace to see, hear, and feel it. Through His grace, we can experience a “thin place,” a foretaste of the heavenly reality here on earth. Let us seek out these places, pursue closeness with God through prayer and the sacraments, and strive to turn our homes into a heaven-like sanctuary.
What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him.
Photo by YANGHONG YU on Unsplash
