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Be always mindful of the God Who is present everywhere, and Who
dwells in the hearts of the just
No spiritual practice is more to be recommended than that of the
presence of God; none is more useful, none more profitable for
advancement in virtue.
It is indispensable. How is it possible to grow holy and attain to
union with God, if we do not habitually think of His presence? It
is most efficacious. With God always before our eyes, how can we
help but try to please Him in all we do, and to avoid displeasing
Him? It is most simple. In its simplicity, it embraces all other
means of sanctification. God present within the soul, our duties
become clear to us from moment to moment. It is most delectable.
What can be dearer than the continual remembrance of God, what
sweeter to one who desires to love Him and to be wholly His?
Lastly, it is a practice which the willing soul cannot find
otherwise than easy.
God spoke to Abraham saying . Walk before Me, and be thou perfect.
[11] He mentioned that one point only, because it contains all.
David says of himself, that he set God always before him. Why? For
He is at my right hand, that I be not moved. [12] Had he continued
faithful to his word, the sight of a woman would not have led him
to adultery, and from adultery to homicide. All saints, under both
the Old and the New Law, have held to this more than to any other
rule. Indeed, it is so well known that I need not press it, nor
need I dwell on its advantages, for they are known to all, saint
and sinner alike. I shall confine myself, therefore, to two
points: one, to explain well what is meant by walking in the
presence of God; the second, to indicate the means that will most
avail us.
The presence of God may be considered under different aspects. God
is necessarily present in all men, good and bad alike; in the
souls of the lost as in those of the blessed; in all creatures
animate and inanimate.
God is also present to all things by His providence. He sees all
things, not only our actions but even our most secret thoughts. He
sees the good, and approves and rewards it; He sees evil, and
condemns and punishes it. He rules all, directs all, according to
His eternal designs, and in spite of all obstacles makes all
things work together for His glory. [13]
In the souls of the just God is present in a special manner: that
is, by sanctifying grace. The heart of the just is His dwelling-
place, says St. Gregory. This presence is a presence of good-will,
of charity and of union. It is the source of our merits, making us
children of God, pleasing in His sight, and worthy of possessing
Him eternally hereafter. It is given to us in baptism, and
restored by penance. It is habitual, and continues as long as we
preserve the grace to which it is attached. Although no just man
can answer for it within him (since no one knows whether he is
worthy of love or hatred [14] ), yet, when he has fulfilled the
rules laid down for procuring it, he may reasonably believe that
God has graciously bestowed it on him, and he must do all he can
to retain it.
God is also present to the soul by actual grace, which enlightens
the mind and attracts the will. This presence is not necessarily
continuous for, although grace is always being offered to us, it
does not always act, because its action presupposes certain
dispositions on our part. This presence acts more or less on
sinners, inspiring them with a sense of sin, and calling them to
repent. Some are ceaselessly pursued by it; they cannot allow
themselves a moment for thought without hearing the voice of God,
bidding them turn from their evil ways. Much more does it act on
the souls of the just, to turn them from evil, excite them to
holiness, and sanctify all their works. It is more felt and more
efficacious, according as our attention and fidelity are more or
less perfect.
Lastly, there is a presence of God which consists of an habitual
infused peace. This presence first makes itself known by its
sweetness, which as St. Paul bears witness, surpasses all
understanding. [15] Afterwards, it is only perceived, without
being strongly felt, and finally, it is enjoyed, like health,
without being noticed. God does not thus bless with His presence
all the just, but mostly those of whom He takes special
possession, and whom He desires to place in the passive state.
Others generally only experience its transitory effects.
The different kinds of God's presence being thus explained, it is
easy to understand what is meant by walking in the presence of
God. It is not merely just thinking about God, as a philosopher
might do when he meditates on divine things, without applying them
to himself. It is rather thinking of God, as affecting our habits
and conduct; it is a deduction from that thought of the moral
consequences in so far as they imply a rule of life. Thus, in the
practice of the presence of God, it is a straightforward and
devout will which must direct the understanding, and the heart
will always have the chief share.
It is a mistake to think that this practice consists of violent
efforts to force the mind to be always thinking of God. That is
not possible, even in the most perfect solitude and detachment
from earthly things. How much less so, then, in the case of
persons living in the world, distracted by the cares of life, by
business and domestic worries, and by a crowd of similar things.
Are such people to be excused from attempting this practice? They
would be, if the presence of God meant banishing every thought
from the mind. But this is not the case: no Christian is exempt
from this exercise on account of the circumstances of his state;
indeed, it is compatible with the busiest life.
He walks, then, in the presence of God who, when he is free to do
so, systematically arranges his time so that he can recall the
presence of God at different times of the day --by meditation, for
instance, or prayer, by assisting at Mass and similar devotions,
by visits to the Blessed Sacrament, vocal prayer and so on; who,
as in the sight of God, employs his time usefully and well,
avoiding idleness, and in general keeping a curb on his
imagination.
He walks therein who, apart from his morning and evening prayers
(which no Christian should omit), in a day filled by necessary
occupations, offers his principal actions to God, thanking Him for
the food He sends, recalling Him from time to time, and making
frequent use of short ejaculatory prayers during the day.
He also walks therein who, like Job, takes heed to all his ways,
watches over his thoughts and words and works, in order to say and
do nothing to wound his conscience and displease God. This
practice is no constraint for one who fears God, still less for
one who loves Him, and it is thus that all good Christians should
act. It is nothing but a faithful preservation of sanctifying
grace and of God's favour, which is the primary duty of every
Christian.
He walks therein more entirely who, like David, keeps the issues
of his heart, in order always to hearken to what the Lord shall
say to him, and to the secret warnings He may give him; who
studies to correspond to every inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and
to perform every action under the influence of grace. All interior
persons follow this method, which is the most apt for leading them
to perfection.
Lastly, he walks therein still more perfectly who, having been
favoured with the infused peace of which I have spoken, diligently
endeavours not to part with it, dwelling always, as it were,
within his own heart, in order to realize it; carefully avoiding
anything that might disturb it or cause him to lose it, and
eagerly embracing all that will help to preserve and increase it.
This peace, as I have said, is purely the gift of God. It does not
depend on ourselves to obtain it, but having been given it, we
must do all in our power to preserve
As to the means which facilitate the exercise of the presence of
God, some are general and some are particular. The first thing is
to remove all obstacles. Once these are out of the way, the
presence of God becomes as familiar to us, as free and as easy, in
a way, as the act of breathing. We must mortify, therefore, our
desire to see, hear and know things which are useless and which do
not concern us. We must avoid all curiosity, for curiosity draws
us out of ourselves, as it were, into the things themselves. The
practice of the presence of God, on the contrary, recalls the soul
to dwell within itself. We must keep a strong hand on the natural
restlessness which incites us to come and go, ever changing our
place, our object, our occupation. This restlessness is really the
effect of that uneasiness which overwhelms us when we look within
ourselves, and fail to find God there. All this inordinate
eagerness and vehemence in our desires must be brought under
control.
The imagination must be curbed, until it becomes accustomed to be
at rest. If, in spite of our efforts, it runs away with itself, it
must be led back gently, and gradually weaned from what it feeds
on, what affects it vividly and strongly, such as vain shows,
exciting books, and a too great application to the imaginative
arts. Nothing is more dangerous or more incompatible with the
practice of the presence of God, than to give the imagination too
free a rein. It is true that we are not wholly masters of that
faculty, the wanderings of which are the torment of religious
souls. This is a great humiliation, and a fertile source of
scruples for those who are unable to despise them. But what is in
our power is to refuse the imagination the objects it seeks with
such avidity, and to which it clings with such tenacity. Avoid
everything, therefore, that can serve it as pasture, which
dissipates it, excites it, and calls for its too great indulgence.
Keep, too, a great liberty of mind and heart, dwelling on neither
the past nor the future. Remember that the present moment alone is
at our disposal. Put aside all useless thoughts, for it is equally
contrary to the presence of God to think too much or too little.
Do not meddle with other people's affairs. Set your own in order,
without undue anxiety as to the result; be reasonably careful over
them, and leave the rest to God. Do not take too much upon
yourself, but reserve some time for rest and recollection. It is
quite right to render services to others, and to undertake works
of mercy. But these things have their measure, and cease to be
right when they do harm to the soul. So much for liberty of mind.
As to liberty of heart, let nothing enter therein which will
affect it too sensibly, or agitate and disturb it, or excite
excessive desire, fear, joy or grief: nothing, in fact, which is
likely to captivate it or turn it aside from its one true object.
As this exercise is one of love, the distraction of the heart is
far more harmful to it than that of the mind. The more the mind
and heart are free, the more shall we be disposed to remain in
God's presence, for God is always the first object that offers
itself to either, when they are emptied of all else.
The particular means to this end are the frequent use of such
things as may remind us of God: as, for instance, the crucifix,
religious prints or pictures, texts from the Scriptures or
Fathers, the sign of the cross (as was the habit of the early
Christians, who, according to Tertullian, were accustomed to begin
all their actions by making that sign). The mind is drawn by the
meaning behind these things, and nothing is more apt for steadying
or recalling the imagination. It is good, also, to know by heart a
certain number of aspirations drawn from the Psalms or from other
parts of Scripture, and to use them often. After a little
practice, these habits will become easy and pleasant. If daily
meditation is practised, some thought or affection that appeals to
one will be enough to nourish the soul during the day. It is for
everyone to choose for himself the method that suits him best, and
follow it or change it according to the benefit he receives.
But the best way of all to acquire the practice of the habitual
presence of God is to meditate often on Our Lord Himself and on
His mysteries, especially His Passion. The various representations
of Our Lord's sufferings strike vividly the imagination; the mind
finds in them endless matter for solid and holy reflection; the
heart is touched and moved, and the feelings stirred which nourish
devotion. I shall speak of this, however, at greater length, in
the following chapter.
As for those are in the passive way, there is no need to teach
them any particular method of remaining in the presence of God.
The Holy Spirit will lead them to the use of all suitable methods,
and they have only to submit themselves to His guidance. In the
beginning, they will feel too much happiness in their secret
intercourse with God ever to be tempted by anything that might
interrupt it: even the thought of such a thing is repugnant to
them. Later on, however, when God withdraws His sensible presence
and drives them, so to say, out of themselves, so that they may
not notice the work He is doing within them, they may seek in
creatures the consolation they no longer find in God. This is
fatal, for God punishes with jealous severity any unfaithfulness
in this matter, and should they persist in their infidelity, they
will inevitably lose all that they have gained. Without committing
themselves, however, to any particular line of conduct, they must
be very faithful to the inspirations of grace, omitting no
accustomed practice voluntarily, but persevering in exterior and
interior mortification, believing that as God had given more to
them than to others, so He will require more at their hands.
The habit of the presence of God, like all other habits, is
difficult to acquire, but once acquired, is easy and pleasant to
preserve. The sweet thought of God, so nourishing to the soul and
so essential at all stages of the spiritual life, makes all other
thoughts intolerable and vain. As the soul progresses, it sees God
more dearly in everything. The very sight of created things
recalls the thought of their Creator, while the perfection of His
works fills it with delight. In all that happens, whether in the
world or in the Church, whether temporal or spiritual, great or
small, adverse or prosperous, the faithful soul perceives its
Lord, Who manifests Himself equally in all things. It sees itself
only in God; its interests only in God's interests; its glory in
His glory; its happiness in His happiness. The things of earth
fade into the distance, and the soul becomes a stranger to them.
Already it feels itself transported into heaven, and judges of
everything as it will one day judge of them in eternity. Such are
some of the admirable effects of the practice of the presence of
God.
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