For the Rev. Paul Coutinho, S.J., taking the Eucharist and eating ice cream or grabbing a beer could be the same thing.

The Indian Jesuit priest and author of “How Big is Your God?” spoke at the Harper Center Ballroom on Nov. 10 and said once God mystically comes into your heart, he is present in every moment of life.

Coutinho, a native of Goa, India and professor at St. Louis University, is known for his blending of Eastern and Western ideas on theology and spirituality. He holds master’s degrees in clinical psychology and religious studies, as well as a doctorate in historical theology from SLU. He currently lives in St. Louis and splits time between the U.S. and India.

His talk was sponsored by Collaborative Ministry and the Jesuit community. The Rev. Andy Alexander, S.J., helped bring Coutinho to Creighton.

“We saw that power of his book to invite us to be open to religious experience, through the eyes of someone through the Eastern world – as a person who comes from India – but also appreciates Ignatian spirituality,” Alexander said.

Coutinho is noted for asking thought-provoking spiritual questions that speak to all generations and his gift as a storyteller to illustrate complex points.

He captured the attention of the more than 200 gathered by telling a few stories in his slightly accented, melodic voice and soon had everyone chuckling with his gentle sense of humor.

One idea Coutinho spoke about is that the ritual of going to church or performing good works isn’t really of any use unless we have a personal relationship with God. We might have a theology of the divine but we don’t actually know God.

“Just because I love God’s children does not mean I love God. When I love God, that love overflows to all God’s children,” Coutinho said.

Amanda Burgardt, Arts & Sciences freshman, came to listen to Coutinho speak on Monday.

“I thought the part about loving God instead of loving others was really interesting,” she said.

Collaborative Ministry started a reading group of “How Big is Your God?” in October that featured reflections from 50 readers worldwide. Thirty-two were from 18 U.S. states and 18 were from nine other countries.

One reader, Pat from Dallas wrote in a reflection: “Paul Coutinho immediately engages me as he shares his story. His questions include me and create a dialog. I’m encouraged to answer. I like his style.

“Coutinho explains that the Western understanding of truth is a philosophy; a set of beliefs that I can think about and know. Eastern understanding of truth believes an experience can be truth.”

Gil Ridenour, Creighton theology professor, said he is always looking for new spiritual insight to use in his own life.

“I liked the idea of us fitting into the mold of the trinity; I thought that was such a neat idea,” he said.

“Even though we aren’t God ourselves, we are in the trinity. I’d never heard of that,” Ridenour said.