"Where are You?"

There’s been a lot going on these past few weeks, what with school coming to a close, and the world going up in flames.

Because of all the activity, I’ve been pretty slack about doing my morning readings.

The horror, I know.

This morning, however, Jaimie went back to work for the first time in eight weeks, so I found myself with nothing but time. I got up, made myself some coffee, and decided to get back on the wagon.

My morning readings consist of two daily reflections from writers I like, and then I wash it down with the Daily Catholic Readings.

For my non-Catholic friends, the Daily Catholic Readings are exactly what they sound like—it’s what the Catholic church reads for the day. There is something from the old Testament, something from the new Testament, with a Psalm sandwiched in between.

Sensing I had been away for a while, this morning the readings went way back to the very beginning. It went all the way to Genesis, to the moment after Adam had eaten the apple from the Tree of the Fruit of Knowledge. For the first time in his life, Adam was aware of his surroundings. Aware of the fact that he was totally naked. Aware of the fact he had a thing between his legs and that for some reason he should call it ‘Penis.’

This total awareness must have freaked him out. It must have scared him, so he took off, looking for a place to hide. And that, my friends, is the moment when God first speaks to humanity. This thing he created in his image. When it was alone, afraid, with its dick in its hand, wondering what in the world have I done.

Now before you hit the UnSubscribe button, let me say that—no, I do not believe that actually happened. I do not look at the Bible literally, but I do think there is something beautiful and symbolic about the story if we take a deeper look.

“Where are you?” That is the first thing God said to us. Surely he knew. It’s not like there were many of us to keep up with. There were two. And that would have come off a little stalker-y if he had known:

“Adam, why are you behind the third tree from the right?”

“How do you know where I am—“

“Just answer me!”

Also the only time we ask a person where they are is when they’re lost. That means from the very beginning of time we haven’t known what we were doing. And from the very beginning, our higher power has been calling us to account. This reading feels very appropriate this Monday, after we were all asked “Where we were.”After a weekend we were called to account over our national shortcomings. when we were called to pick a side, to announce, where we stood, God, in the Daily Catholic Reading, is asking us where are we.

Where we were was alone, hiding, with out literal dick in our hands.

I can relate to that.

No matter how unprepared I am, I just ask that God gives me the strength to stand up any way.