Please share your answers with us to be published here. Thank you.

1. When/Where do you most easily experience God?
2. What is your dominant image of God?
3. How would you describe the role of faith in your life?

Here are a few questions and the answers to them. Thank you to those who submitted these. We hope that you will read the responses to these questions and submit your own to be published on this list.

1. When/Where do you most easily experience God?

There are formal moments, like during Mass, when I sense God’s presence in the mystique behind ceremony and tradition.  I feel peace and calm.  There are also philosophical moments when I find myself considering the nature of God’s existence.  I am in awe, then.  Of course, and finally, there are those moments during which I experience God when I take the time to reflect about the relationships I have with other people, or the relationships I see that other people have together.  For example, I have recognized the comfort that can be found among people who see the goodness in others, such as when a student spends hours tutoring a classmate.  Then comes happiness.

I most easily experience God during the sermon at my church.  During this time, I may lose focus, and “zone out.”  During this period, I contemplate on issues I’m going through and how I may solve them.  More times than not, I come up with a morally correct solution.  During this contemplation time, I feel like I experience God.

I most easily experience God when I look upon my life and reflect on the different parts that it is made up of, such as during retreats. I can see how God constantly interferes with my life and how important He and others are to me. I also can see God in other people that I am close to. By observing their actions and lives, I can see how God affects myself through them. I can also easily experience God in nature and in serene places. By the natural beauty that is inhibited in these places, I can truly experience the greatness and awesomeness of God.

I experienced God most easily when I went to a summer camp in Georgia with my youth group at church.

When i most easily experience God is during Mass.  Other times I do experience God is at night when I go to sleep.

I most easily experience God when I’m at church. Church is where i can relax and just focus on God. When I’m at church I’m not distracted by sports or my family life. I do that by listening and fully participating in church.

I most easily experience God when I am in church. Everyone in church is doing the same thing I am, praying to God.

2. What is your dominant image of God?

I see God as a loving Father, as someone who cares about you more than you could ever know. To me God is distant and yet close, He is the all knowing and all powerful ruler of the universe but at the same time our close friend and our Brother. God is a dictator but rather He gives us the choice to do what we want even when it’s not what He wants us to do. To me God is not the God of popular culture where He doesn’t care what we do. I believe that God will hold us accountable for our actions but that he is ready and willing to forgive us if only we ask for it. I believe that God is always present with us that he knows us better than we know ourselves and that it is only in a relationship with Him that we will find true happiness and peace.

In the literal sense, my God is the elderly, wise figure who watches, patiently waits, and hopes for me to understand more about how to live.  At times I consider God as the dominant older sibling who becomes less patient with my missed opportunities for growth, as if God is waiting for me to catch up.  Furthermore, and related specifically to the ideal of being “open to growth,” I’ve been thinking recently about the image of God as an eagle who pushes its young out of the nest, forcing the young eaglet to learn to fly by accepting personal risk.  I no longer pray for wisdom, but for the opportunity to develop wisdom through experiences, and more and more often this image of the eagle teaching its young to fly comes to mind.  Through reflection, I am starting to see God as a figure that says, “Okay, this is what you need to work on next, so get to it…”  This is an Ignatian interpretation of God in that it’s based in St. Ignatius’s humanistic–to develop oneself–view of man’s relationship to God.

My most dominant image of God is a Zeus-like character.  A huge man, with a giant white beard, and a large staff of some sort usually comes to mind when I picture God.  I imagine him as being a character who is aged with wisdom, but who still has the vitality of someone who is still in their prime.  I imagine him as being ever and all powerful.

I imagine God as a mighty, all-powerful figure who brings out the best feelings and attitudes in all of us. His powerful and confident self sort of “rubs off” onto others that are close to him and his greatness inspires others to be the best that they can be. He could be compared to a kind teacher or role model or someone who is comforting to all. As the father of everyone, he strives to strengthen each and every one of us, his children, with his firm and reassuring pressure on our lives. He is not someone to push us around, but is like a coach or parent that is constantly nudging us in the back, trying to get us to do the right thing and to live holier lifestyles.

An older man with a white beard that always looks out for you.

My dominant image of God is is a man who can do anything.  I also see him as a Father for anyone and everyone.  He is the Alpha and Omega.

My dominant image of God is a family member that always knows what to do. He is always there for you and loves you more then anyone else can.

My dominant image of God is a big guy with long curly white hair. He has very pale skin, and his personality is very similar to Morgan Freeman.

3. How would you describe the role of faith in your life?

My faith is what drives me towards the more. There is much I do not understand about our existence, but my faith in God drives me to want to learn more.

Faith plays a big role in my life.  I attend church on most Sundays, and I attend a catholic school.  The role that faith plays in my life is large in the sense that it brings my family together, when we all go to church, and a lot of what I learn is based off of my faith.  Faith is a great uniter of my family, and the driving force of what I learn everyday.

Faith is a constant reminder in my life to live a lifestyle that embodies the core Ignation values and strives to help and strengthen others. Faith is a source of motivation for any goal or task in my life, no matter how hard. By incorporating faith in my life, I can try to live my live not for myself, but for God and for others.

Faith is a more dominant role in my life after I came to Rockhurst and after I came back from summer camp.

The role of faith in my life is to go to Church every Sunday, to pray before meals, attend reconciliation at least once a year, get married, and to be confirmed.

The role of faith in my life is to go to church, and just be the best christian person I can be. It reminds me to live my life with the sense of pride and accomplishment. Faith also helps my family to be there for each other and to love each other.

The role of faith in my life would have to be guiding me to make the right decisions when im around my friends, and going to him for comfort when im having a hard time.

Thank you to all those who have submitted! If you havent’ yet, we encourage you to do so!