If you’ve ever stood near Niagara Falls, you know what it means to be filled with awe.
In the face of something that far surpasses human capability, your heart pounds with the sheer power and majesty of nature.
Since our children were babies, we have taken them on hikes and summer camping trips to places near and far, from New Jersey to Wisconsin to Colorado.
When we discovered something new out in nature — from a tiny iridescent beetle to a stately elk to a roaring waterfall — their little faces were always filled with awe.
There is nothing quite like observing the wonder of wide-eyed two-year-old children. With their eyes lifted up, their mouths drop open at the power and majesty of what is in front of them.
Everything at their age is fresh and new and amazing.
The world is still awaiting their discovery of it.
To be two is to be ignited with awe.
Erosion over time
Somehow time erodes that awe as we get older, weather life’s bumps and bruises along the way, and endure seasons of monotony or hardship.
Spiritually our awe can dwindle as well, when we begin to take for granted the truths of our faith, we don’t spend as much time with Our Lord or studying Scripture as we should, or we get caught up in the logistics of living on this Earth.
If we truly comprehend the fact that the Creator of the Universe comes to us under the appearance of bread and wine every day at every Mass — and He waits for us to spend time with Him in the tabernacles across the world — we would fall to our knees in awe and gratitude every time we enter or pass a Catholic Church.
How to regain awe
How do we regain the awe that has been lost in our spiritual lives, individually, and collectively?
We seek out beautiful liturgy that inspires awe, follow reverent spiritual fathers, spend time with Our Lord in quiet Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, read about the saints who gave their lives for the truths we’ve grown to take for granted.
We pray for the grace to open our hearts in two-year-old wonder at the greatest gift bestowed on mankind: Jesus, Our Lord, who became man and suffered and died for us so that we might spend eternity with Him in Heaven one day; Jesus, who loves us so much that He feeds us with Himself each day in the Eucharist, so that He might live in us and attract more souls to Heaven.
A palpable love
Who would not be struck to the core with awe at such love that is there for the taking, every single day of our lives?
The true wonder of the world lies not in earthly discoveries, but in the Eucharist, a palpable Love that can ignite us from within if we strive to approach it with the awe of a child.
Julianne Nornberg, mother of four children, is a teacher’s aide at St. John School in Waunakee.