The Presence of God
1. God sees us always, for He is everywhere. “In Him we live and move
and have our being.” (Acts 17:28) We did not exist, and He produced us
from nothing, by His omnipotence. If He did not support us continually,
we should return to nothingness, for conservation is a continuous act of
creation. But He has given us immortal souls, and has created us for
Himself so that we may serve, enjoy and
love Him for all eternity. We are always in His presence. He sees
clearly everything which we think, desire or do, even our most secret
hidden actions. Do we perfectly grasp this tremendous truth? Are we
aware of it at every moment of our lives, and do we make it the guide
for our conduct? If we were to live continually in the presence of God,
our lives would be angelic rather than human, for we would not allow
ourselves to commit even the slightest sin nor to be guilty of the least
thought, word or action which might offend Him. The more we fail in our
awareness of the presence of God the more disordered our actions
become. Let us resolve, therefore, to live continually in the presence
of God and to direct all our thoughts, desires and actions towards Him.
2. In times of temptation it is especially necessary for us to place
ourselves in the presence of God. We are courting disaster if we do not
raise our minds and hearts to God to implore His help when temptation
assails us. Like the Apostles on the lake of Genesareth when their frail
boat was battered by the storm tossed waves and was in danger of being
wrecked, let us cry out with the same faith and confidence when we are
assaulted by the devil: “Lord, save us! We are perishing! (Mt. 8:25) God
knows our weakness and will certainly have mercy on us. Let us not lose
courage if He seems to be slow in granting His enlightenment and His
grace and leaves us prey to the onslaughts of our passions. Like the
Canaanite woman in the Gospel, let us continue to pray with constancy
and with faith, and the merciful God will take pity on us at last.
3. A man who lives always in the presence of God cannot sin. When we
find ourselves in the presence of a high-ranking worldly personality, do
we dare to behave any other way but correctly and respectfully ? How
should we dare, then, to behave in any other fashion in the presence of
the infinite majesty of God, our Creator and Redeemer, Who will one day
also be our Judge? Could He not in a single instant snap the thread of
our mortal life and call us before His judgment-seat even while we are
in the act of offending Him? Let us remember St. Paul's stern warning:
“It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Heb.
10:31) Let us remain always in the presence of God and we shall be at
peace and strong in His grace.
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