Closeness in the Physical Distance

Allie Ripplinger is a FOCUS missionary at St. Al’s. She shares her story of her experience with God in New Zealand when she could not receive the Eucharist.
 
In a time when many of us are not able to attend Mass, Allie’s reflection reminds us that God is with you personally and immediately. He is never far away. This paragraph from the Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us of that:
 
2567 God calls man first. Man may forget his Creator or hide far from his face; he may run after idols or accuse the deity of having abandoned him; yet the living and true God tirelessly calls each person to that mysterious encounter known as prayer. In prayer, the faithful God's initiative of love always comes first; our own first step is always a response. As God gradually reveals himself and reveals man to himself, prayer appears as a reciprocal call, a covenant drama. Through words and actions, this drama engages the heart. It unfolds throughout the whole history of salvation.
 
"At the end of my undergrad, I had the opportunity to go on a 14-day study abroad trip to New Zealand.
 
Leading up to the experience, I had been growing on my campus steadily in my faith and was blessed to attend daily Mass and pray in the Catholic chapel with Jesus physically present every day for three years.
 
One of the major decisions I asked God to help me make in going on the trip, that would take my classmates and me into the untouched wilderness of the islands (and, nowhere close to a Catholic church), is if not being able to go to Mass and pray in the chapel with Him was going to lead me away from Him; I didn't want to jeopardize my relationship with Him in any way. Receiving peace and consistency in prayer, I went on the trip, seeking dispensation for the two Sunday Masses I would sadly miss. 
 
While there, hiking for 8-12 hours a day in the mountain ranges where  Lord of the Rings was filmed, I experienced many things with the Lord: His Beauty in creation, the joy of friendships with my classmates, an unquenchable thirst for Him, and a desire to entrust myself to Him completely.
 
It was in the midst of my absence from Him in the Eucharist that I sought Him out more, pining to give Him my full attention throughout the days. Shockingly, I could even feel His Presence right beside me as I climbed and found myself smiling as we walked and talked together.
 
He continued to invite me to love Him, reassuring me of His infinite, constant love for me. I had so much peace throughout that time with Him, soaking in His loving gaze and His intimate friendship. He squeezed every piece of fruit out of this time with Him, wasting nothing of what He wanted to give to me in His generosity. 
 
After returning home, I could not wait to go to the first post-trip Mass, a true homecoming. Nevertheless, I could not soon forget that Jesus had been with me the whole time and that I had chosen to be with Him that whole time, too. 
 
In this time of physical distance from Him, when we are not able to receive or be with the Sacramental Jesus, we have a choice to continue showing Him our devotion and receiving from Him the gifts He has for us in this time and place. He uses everything and does not waste anything; He freely gives and wants you to give freely."