The Practice of the Presence of God

“Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid” (Mt 14:27).

For me, this time of summer is connected with anniversaries. On August 8, I was present at the Cathedral for the Profession of Perpetual Vows by two Jesuit novices. Going forward, August 8th will always be noted as the anniversary of their becoming vowed members of the Society of Jesus. The next day, I celebrated two anniversary Masses – the first in thanksgiving for the 50 years of our Diocese’s Jail Ministry while continuing to pray for its fruitfulness. The second Mass celebrated the 100th anniversary of St. Margaret’s Parish in Mattydale. The same week marked the seventh anniversary of my ordination as a bishop and of my installation as the 11th Bishop of Syracuse.

Now the word “anniversary” simply means “returning annually.” But why do we do so whether the occasion be about birth, death, marriage, ordination, employment, trauma, or new beginnings or endings? I would like to suggest it has to do with the commonalities we find in the Scripture readings from that anniversary weekend (August 8-9). In them, we hear of great displays of God’s power, natural disturbances, and reasons to fear. But as one Scripture commentary notes: “The most important thing that happens in them is the fact that God makes his presence known.”  Whether it’s in Jesus’ walking on the water or in the tiny whisper Elijah heard or in Paul’s anguish over the unbelief of his own Jewish people, the Lord comes to his children echoing Paul’s profession that nothing “will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 8:39).

God always wants to reassure you and me – He is passing by! And even more, he is inviting us, brothers and sisters, to spend time with him whether in a quiet place or in the midst of a storm or in the throes of disbelief. He wants us to remember that he comes to us with outstretched hands ever ready to hold us and keep us steady: “Take courage…; do not be afraid” (Mt 14:27).

Pope Leo XIV would describe this moment or movement in one’s spiritual life as, “The Practice of the Presence of God.” These words of His Holiness are the title of a 17th century spiritual classic written by a Brother Lawrence, a Carmelite monk. Pope Leo would say that this work teaches us the joy of living each day in God’s presence.

Sisters and brothers, what does it mean to practice the presence of God? Practicing the presence of God means living with a continual awareness that God is with you and me, not only during formal prayer, but in each and every moment of daily life. Another way of saying this is finding God in all things! This means that even the simplest tasks can be become prayer when done with attention to God.

Turning back to our thoughts on anniversaries, is this not what happens when on such occasions you and I stop to look back and recognize God’s presence along the way – all the while preparing ourselves to set our sights forward, as well? In such moments we may recognize how Jesus comes to us in the quiet, but also in our troubles and how we walk safely when our focus is on Jesus.

Yet, brothers and sisters, we may also be conscious in such moments of introspection. How have we been inattentive to the Jesus in our midst and to his holy Word? For me in such moments, it is even more important to recognize that like in today’s gospel, Jesus is there to pull us up! As one Scripture commentator notes: “He would not have called for Peter to come if he would have let him drown!”

In our psalm response we sing: “Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.” Is that not what we do when we return annually to certain events in our lives? Even more, is it not also a call to take more seriously the power packed into the seeds that we are meant to sow and to be whether through our vocations, apostolates and ministries, or our parishes?

So how can you and I, brothers and sisters, better practice the presence of God in our daily lives? Four suggestions:

• Intentionally call to mind God’s presence throughout the day. Recall that God is near while working, walking, cooking, or speaking with others. This is what the seven pauses to pray each day in the Church’s Liturgy of the Hours is all about. At minimum, the Church invites her members to pause in the Morning and in the Evening for such moments. And where this is not possible, at least at night before sleep.

• Turn ordinary moments into prayer. Weave short prayers, quiet gratitude, and inward conversation with God into daily activities.

• Do tasks for God. Offer your work to God as an act of love, whether the task is great or small.

• Return to God when distracted. When you notice that your attention wanders, gently return your mind to God’s presence.

In closing, let us keep in mind these words of the English author, C. S. Lewis who offers us this perspective: “We may ignore, but we can nowhere evade the presence of God. The world is crowded with Him. He walks everywhere incognito. And the incognito is not always hard to penetrate. The real labor is to remember, to attend. In fact, to come awake. Still more, to remain awake!”

“Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”