The Sacredness of a Rock
“Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.’”
There is a powerfully visual church on the Sea of Galilee. It is the Church of the Primacy of St. Peter, built in 1933, on the foundation of a 4th-century church. The altar is a large, long stone that extends the length of the church sanctuary, beyond the external wall and into the Sea of Galilee. According to tradition, the stone altar was the site where the risen Jesus called the apostle fishermen to cast their nets again and had them drag the abundance to the rock. The risen Lord fed the apostles fish on the rock, and later they would feed on the faithful in the sacrament of communion on the same rock.
When I stood outside the Church of the Primacy of St. Peter and pictured the Apostles’ shock of being in the presence of the risen Jesus, eating with them, from the abundance only he could provide, I was moved by the way the Lord used earthly rock to create heavenly joy. The John 21 story of the risen Jesus providing abundance is a reminder of how there can be sacredness even in something as mundane as a big rock.
The mundane comes alive when you envision the sacred through the eyes of faith. When we invite the Holy Spirit to help us see the world differently, even the rocks sing. Mowing the lawn brings sacred undertones, as we use our senses to experience the joy of newly mowed grass, time to let our mind wander at the whim of the Spirit, and the physical release that comes from physical activity. Washing the dishes provides warmth from the water, the smell of cleanliness from the washing liquid, and a sense of satisfaction from a reordered kitchen.
Now, it is your turn. Start your own sacred scientific inquiry. Throughout your day, when you participate in ordinary activities, focus on each aspect of the process. For example, if you are writing a note using a pencil and paper, feel the tension of the lead on the paper. Listen to the unique scratching sound and the way you form the letters. Use the moment to think back to learning to write, spell, and form sentences. Whatever you choose to consider, focus with intentionality. Listen for what the still small voice whispers into your soul. You can have your own moment with Jesus, as he gives you the abundance that is himself within you.
