"I know who you are"

So THAAAAT'S how the demon knew who Jesus was! Those crazy apostles...

But seriously, folks...

Today's readings teach us about the awareness of God's presence.

Hannah is in the Temple, pleading with God for a child. Eli doesn't realize how intense Hannah's prayer is, and thinks she's loaded. He should have realized that, in God's presence, anything can happen.

Jesus, along with Simon, Andrew, James, and John enter the synagogue in Capernaum for the sabbath, where week after week men came to be in the presence of God. This day, however, they were in the same room with God, and didn't realize it. Yes, they were astonished by Jesus' teachings, but no one made the connection. That is, no one except the man possessed by the unclean spirit. The demon knows immediately that God is present.

We're at the time of year when football playoffs mean people are shelling out hundreds of dollars to sit in a stadium to watch a game they could literally watch for free (with a better view)! It'll build up to the Super Bowl, where people will pay thousands of dollars for a seat in Dolphin Stadium. Why? Presence. Because there's something about being present in the place where the game is being played.

We're at the time of year when lots of politicos will be spending hundreds of dollars to attend the inaugural ball for the incoming Governor of New Jersey. They'll buy special clothes, get their hair and nails done, some will rent limosines, etc., all to simply be in the same room with the new Governor; to be in his presence.

How long would you stay in line to get a "meet & greet" with your favorite celebrity? Hours of waiting for 30 seconds of "face time". Why? Presence.

Do we have that awareness of the difference God's presence makes? Do we go into church aware that we are entering the presence of God? How many times do we clergy make light of that fact, barely stopping for a genuflection or a prayer when we have to get something in the church?