A boy closes his eyes and folds his hands in prayer while participating in an activity at Gasper River Catholic Youth Camp and Retreat Center in Bowling Green on July 15, 2026. ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD | WKC
God is closer than you think
BY DCN. JAY W. VANHOOSIER, OFFICE OF FAITH FORMATION
Editor’s note: This column is part two in a monthly WKC series, “Ten Matters of Faith Every Catholic Should Know: A Journey From Belief to Discipleship.”
Have you ever found yourself wondering, “Where is God?” Perhaps it was during a difficult diagnosis, the loss of someone you love, or a season when prayer seemed to echo back in silence. Maybe you have looked around at a world marked by division and suffering and questioned whether God is paying attention at all.
If you have ever asked those questions, you are not alone. The men and women of Scripture asked them too.
Yet one of the great truths of our Catholic faith is this: God is almost always closer than we realize.
The challenge is not that God is absent. More often, it is that we are looking for Him in the wrong places.
Many of us expect God to reveal Himself through dramatic miracles, unmistakable signs, or extraordinary spiritual experiences. Sometimes He does. But throughout salvation history, God more often chooses to make Himself known in quieter ways.
The prophet Elijah expected to encounter the Lord in the wind, the earthquake, and the fire. Instead, God came in a tiny whispering sound. The disciples walking to Emmaus believed they were alone in their grief, only to discover that the risen Christ had been walking beside them the entire journey. Mary Magdalene stood only a few feet from the risen Jesus in the garden but did not recognize Him until He spoke her name. God had never been far away. They simply needed new eyes to see Him. The same is true for us.
God is present in the quiet moments of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. He speaks through Sacred Scripture when a familiar passage suddenly touches our hearts in a new way. He strengthens us through the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, where Christ is truly present – not symbolically, but Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity.
He is present in the kindness of a stranger, the forgiveness offered by a friend, the laughter of children, and the peaceful assurance that somehow carries us through days we never imagined we could endure.
The Catechism teaches that God is infinitely greater than we can imagine, yet He is also nearer to us than we are to ourselves. He is not a distant observer watching creation from afar. He is Emmanuel – “God with us.”
Perhaps that is why Jesus spent so much of His ministry helping people notice what had been there all along. He opened blind eyes, not only physically but spiritually. He invited people to recognize God’s kingdom already breaking into their lives. That invitation remains today.
One simple way to grow in faith is to ask yourself each evening, “Where did I encounter God today?” At first, the answer may not come easily. But over time, you will begin to notice His fingerprints in ordinary conversations, unexpected blessings, moments of grace, and even in the challenges that draw you closer to Him.
God has not stopped speaking. He has not stopped loving. He has not stopped pursuing His people.
The question is not whether God is near. The question is whether we will slow down long enough to recognize that He has been walking beside us all along.
Dcn. Jay W. VanHoosier is the director of faith formation for the Diocese of Owensboro. For more information visit owensborodiocese.org/faith-formation, email [email protected] or call (270) 852-8324.
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Originally printed in the September 2026 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.
