On this day, the feast of the archangels, the scripture readings provide an interesting contrast. The Old Testament lesson from the book of Daniel talks about “wheels of burning fire,” shining clothing, myriads attending, “coming on the clouds of heaven.” All very exotic imagery to remind us that God is more than we can imagine. In the gospel of John we have the encounter with God in the person of Jesus happening on a very mundane level. Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.” This ordinary experience of meeting another person was the moment of revelation for Nathanael. We live in that contrast as believers. God is certainly more than our hopes and desires. We must get out of our pettiness to meet God. On the other hand, the people that we encounter in life provide an image of God. Since we are all brothers and sisters of Jesus, the incarnate Son of God, it is in human interactions that we will most often see the face of God.
