Did you ever look yourself up on the Internet? I did, and found a lot about me -- and even more not about me. I entered “Paul Leingang” into the Google search field and found 14,700 references. I found that Paul Leingang is the second-in-command for the Mandan, N.D. police department; that Paul Leingang, a student at a Jesuit high school in Texas, won seventh place in dramatic interpretation in the 2006 University of Texas Longhorn Classic, and that Paul Leingang was killed in an automobile accident in North Carolina. Other Internet reference were to me, the one I know as me – either in connection with my position in the Diocese of Evansville, or because of my involvement in the Christian Family Movement. Many references – maybe even most of them – lead to web pages that have the word “Paul” somewhere and the word “Leingang” somewhere else. Some such references mention my son, Matthew, whose middle name is Paul. Just out of curiosity, I did a Google search for the word, “God” — and found 50 million 800 thousand references! I was impressed. God gets a lot of press! Not all of it is true. One website claimed to provide “50 simple proofs” that “God is imaginary.” That site was pretty depressing, as it seemed to focus most of its argument on the idea that God does nor answer prayers. Other sites were more positive – including a Wikipedia entry with a lot of information about various belief systems, and some Evangelical Christian sites asking for a commitment. Some websites gave information about the various names people have for God — including the God of Abraham for Jews, Muslims and Christians. I couldn’t help but think how foolish we Christian believers must seem at this time of year, when we call to mind the Nativity of the Lord, and worship Jesus as the Son of God. What a challenge – to profess belief that God’s only son was born in a stable, and that he really was, and is, “true God from true God.”
* * * So maybe the Internet is not the best place to find God. Where would a person go to find God? To whom would you turn? With literally millions and millions of sources, which ones have any surety of being honest and true? Perhaps one source is yourself – given the notion of St. Augustine that our own restlessness of heart will lead us to God’s ultimate presence. Or perhaps, inspired by a prophet, we might find God not in the storm of power but in the soft and gentle breeze. Certainly another source must be our parents or our older brothers and sisters, the ones who have already come to experience God within our own history — living books, so to speak The Catholic Church offers seven sacraments where an individual may meet God within the community of believers. And the Gospels tell us that Jesus is to be found in the hungry and the homeless, the sick and the imprisoned, the everyday and the ordinary.
* * * Where have you found God? And what is the name of the God you found? Where have you found confusion – and how did you find truth and clarity? What witness to your belief can be found in the way you live? Or the way you give? Or the name, “Christian,” that you claim? If you have children, or some influence over students or young neighbors, know that they too are searching to find themselves, their true selves in a wide and interconnected world. Take the time to witness to the true God, and to help them to differentiate from the countless representations of other attractions and distractions that they may find in their search. Your faith can make a difference.
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