THIS is the ideal condition for us
here in this world. We
need to live in God’s presence since in the first place our life is
supposed to be a life with God. We are meant for it. We are actually
equipped and enabled for it also. And obviously there is an objective
basis for this.
God is everywhere. He is omnipresent. This is how one of
the psalms describes this reality: “Whither shall I go from your
presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in
Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in
the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.” (139,7-10)
Christian theology explains this truth by teaching us that
God is present everywhere, that is, in all things and in all persons,
by the mere fact of their existence, since God is the giver and
maintainer of the existence of everything and of everyone.
More than that, God’s presence is not merely passive but
active. He is always intervening in the existence of all the
creatures, ever applying his wisdom through the ceaseless providence
that he exercises over all his creation whose nature he always
respects, upholds and defends.
In our case, since we are of a rational nature that
necessarily exists with freedom and responsibility, and that makes us
image and likeness of God, he is present in us also through his grace,
which is his way of sharing his life with us.
We need to process all these details about this truth of
God’s omnipresence, so we can correspond to it as we should, that is,
knowingly and willingly. This correspondence of ours to God’s presence
in us is always possible and doable, no matter how imperfectly it is
done. We just have to be aware of this truth and learn to live it
effectively. And true enough, we have a lot to learn in this regard.
Obviously, we have to overcome certain difficulties, first
of which is a certain awkwardness, since our natural condition has to
adjust to the supernatural reality of God present and acting in us.
We are usually dominated simply by what our senses and
other human and natural conditionings show us. What we need is to have
a theological mind, a kind of outlook that is guided by faith, hope
and love, more than anything else. To be sure, to develop a
theological mind is not simply a purely intellectual affair. It comes
as a result of a deep piety, fueled by God’s grace that gives us faith
and love.
And then we have to contend with the reality of our
sinfulness and its consequences. Our usual human tendency when faced
with this reality is to run away from God, instead of going to him,
begging for his mercy. We tend to jump from the pan to the fire.
Still not everything is lost, since God, in his
all-powerful love and mercy and in his own mysterious ways, would know
how to bring us back to him. We just have to correspond to his
interventions as much as we can.
May it be that our thoughts are also God’s thoughts. And
may our words and actions not be just our words and actions, but also
God’s. That’s how we are meant to be!
On God’s part, everything has been provided for us to
reach the goal. He always gives us his grace. He sends us the Holy
Spirit, our sanctifier with his gifts and fruits, so that we can
concur with God’s actions and designs.
We’ve been given God’s word, a living and definite
revelation so we can enter into the mind of God. We have been given
the sacraments and the Church itself, so that God continues to be with
us and in us in a very direct and abiding way while still journeying
in this earthly life.
We have to do our part to reciprocate God’s providence
over us. We need to develop a theological mind, thinking always in
terms of our faith, and not just with our reason and senses. We have
to aim at nothing less than being contemplatives, able to see God in
everything and everything through the eyes of God.
If we put our mind together, we can achieve what is really
meant for us. We just have to be aware of what is involved and
consistent in putting into action what we know and realize about our
life, thanks to our faith, regardless of the difficulties and
mistakes.
need to live in God’s presence since in the first place our life is
supposed to be a life with God. We are meant for it. We are actually
equipped and enabled for it also. And obviously there is an objective
basis for this.
God is everywhere. He is omnipresent. This is how one of
the psalms describes this reality: “Whither shall I go from your
presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in
Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in
the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.” (139,7-10)
Christian theology explains this truth by teaching us that
God is present everywhere, that is, in all things and in all persons,
by the mere fact of their existence, since God is the giver and
maintainer of the existence of everything and of everyone.
More than that, God’s presence is not merely passive but
active. He is always intervening in the existence of all the
creatures, ever applying his wisdom through the ceaseless providence
that he exercises over all his creation whose nature he always
respects, upholds and defends.
In our case, since we are of a rational nature that
necessarily exists with freedom and responsibility, and that makes us
image and likeness of God, he is present in us also through his grace,
which is his way of sharing his life with us.
We need to process all these details about this truth of
God’s omnipresence, so we can correspond to it as we should, that is,
knowingly and willingly. This correspondence of ours to God’s presence
in us is always possible and doable, no matter how imperfectly it is
done. We just have to be aware of this truth and learn to live it
effectively. And true enough, we have a lot to learn in this regard.
Obviously, we have to overcome certain difficulties, first
of which is a certain awkwardness, since our natural condition has to
adjust to the supernatural reality of God present and acting in us.
We are usually dominated simply by what our senses and
other human and natural conditionings show us. What we need is to have
a theological mind, a kind of outlook that is guided by faith, hope
and love, more than anything else. To be sure, to develop a
theological mind is not simply a purely intellectual affair. It comes
as a result of a deep piety, fueled by God’s grace that gives us faith
and love.
And then we have to contend with the reality of our
sinfulness and its consequences. Our usual human tendency when faced
with this reality is to run away from God, instead of going to him,
begging for his mercy. We tend to jump from the pan to the fire.
Still not everything is lost, since God, in his
all-powerful love and mercy and in his own mysterious ways, would know
how to bring us back to him. We just have to correspond to his
interventions as much as we can.
May it be that our thoughts are also God’s thoughts. And
may our words and actions not be just our words and actions, but also
God’s. That’s how we are meant to be!
On God’s part, everything has been provided for us to
reach the goal. He always gives us his grace. He sends us the Holy
Spirit, our sanctifier with his gifts and fruits, so that we can
concur with God’s actions and designs.
We’ve been given God’s word, a living and definite
revelation so we can enter into the mind of God. We have been given
the sacraments and the Church itself, so that God continues to be with
us and in us in a very direct and abiding way while still journeying
in this earthly life.
We have to do our part to reciprocate God’s providence
over us. We need to develop a theological mind, thinking always in
terms of our faith, and not just with our reason and senses. We have
to aim at nothing less than being contemplatives, able to see God in
everything and everything through the eyes of God.
If we put our mind together, we can achieve what is really
meant for us. We just have to be aware of what is involved and
consistent in putting into action what we know and realize about our
life, thanks to our faith, regardless of the difficulties and
mistakes.
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