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 Although I know better, I am guilty of falling into the trap. I may have positive words for anyone who finds himself or herself doing it, but it seems I forget the words when I need to address them to myself: it's the "do as I say, not as I do-or believe for myself"- syndrome. It does not always help that I am a student of theology, because I encounter it much more in my studies, learning about those who have been instrumental in the growth of my faith in God and in my understanding of that faith. Yet for all the struggles, I firmly believe it is necessary to get the message out-and I continue to strive for a sense of peace about it all.
 I am talking about the way in which we communicate with God; and more importantly, how God communicates with us. We are all familiar with the great depictions in the Bible, when God makes Himself known in a mighty way, through a burning bush, a mighty vision, or a visit from an angel. We read these accounts and think to ourselves, "If God would only be so explicit with me…then I would know what to do." So we spend our time looking and waiting for that great sign-so that we can begin to do the great work that God has laid out for us.
But what are we missing in the meantime? What is happening while we wait? Could it be that God is indeed speaking all the time, but because we have our vision focused on the great, we are missing the small? Isn't God a part of our day to day existence as much as in the extraordinary moments that occur? And are we not called to be just as faithful in the small as we are with the large?
Look at Elijah, standing in the cave, waiting on the Lord to pass by. God was not in the great wind, nor in the earthquake, nor in the fire. It was only when the gentle whisper came that Elijah knew God was present. God was not revealed in what we may consider to be a powerful and energetic way: God chose the cool, quiet, whispering touch to announce His awesome presence. To look for God only in the big could lead to missing God all together.
It is true: most of us will not receive a heavenly vision. Most of us will not have the opportunity, as Jacob did, to wrestle with the angel of God. Unlike Moses, most of us will never see a burning bush that doesn't burn, and hear a clear audible voice telling us what to do next. But that does not mean that God is not present in our life, or that God does not find our life's purpose meaningful and important to the Kingdom.
There were two saints who firmly believed that God was just as present in the ordinary as the extraordinary, that God embraced everyday faithfulness as much as great, grand shows of love. For Ignatius Loyola and Francis de Sales, one's relationship with God centered on one's ability to be honest with oneself, being open to God's desires, and above all, having a sure knowledge of God's constant and continuing faithfulness and love towards His creation, day by day and moment by moment. Both suggest ways in which we can embrace God with our daily, ordinary lives, leading us to understand that "universal call to holiness." Although they never met, these two individuals shared a vision of helping others to recognize and embrace God in every aspect of one's life. For Ignatius and Francis, looking for God in the whispering wind, and hearing what God has to say to us, is the only way that one can truly prepare oneself to encounter God when the heavenly vision appears.
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