Mar 13 Fri
Why should I exert effort to live in the presence of God?
Recently, Pope Leo advised seminarians to practice the presence of God, lest they become like the barren fig tree mentioned by Christ (Luke 13:6-9).
Commenting on G. K. Chesterton’s — “Take away the supernatural, and what remains is the unnatural”— Pope Leo said that “man is not made to live enclosed on himself, but in a living relationship with God.”
“When that relationship is obscured or weakened, life begins to fall into disorder from within.”
Some avoid scandalous conduct, and they think it is enough. “The unnatural is not only the scandalous; it is enough to live without God in daily life.”
“A believing outlook on reality needs to be translated every day into concrete choices in life; otherwise, even intrinsically good practices—such as study, prayer, family life—can become empty and distorted, becoming mere fulfillment.”
“A simple and proven way to safeguard this view is to practice the presence of God, which keeps the heart awake and life constantly focused on Him.”
“It is said that trees ‘die standing’: they remain upright, they retain their appearance, but inside they are already dry and rotten. Something similar can happen in the life of a follower of Christ, when fruitfulness is mistaken for the intensity of activities or with merely external care for appearances.”
“Spiritual life does not bear fruit because of what is visible, but because of what is an interior life deeply rooted in God. When that root is neglected, everything ends up drying up inside, until, silently, it ends up ‘dying standing upright’.”
St. Josemaría advised us to dedicate each day of the week to a solid devotion as a help for our presence of God. “Sunday, for example, is good for praising the Trinity: glory to the Father, glory to the Son, glory to the Holy Spirit.”
“On Mondays, we can pray for the holy souls in purgatory.”
“Tuesday? I dedicate it to the Guardian Angels.”
“And Wednesday? It's St Joseph's day."
“On Thursdays, many acts to honor the holy Eucharist: spiritual communions, acts of reparation...”
“On Fridays, ‘Hail, Holy Cross, our only hope!’”
“And Saturday? We go to our heavenly Mother, our Lady!"
St. Josemaría made it clear that there is no obligation to follow this particular path, but he added: “What no one should do is to neglect presence of God. If a person does not have presence of God, he won't go well: he won't be mortified, won't be spiritual, nor zealous, nor eager to work. On the other hand, by making this effort, we find ourselves conversing with God at every moment of the day: we live as contemplative souls."
St. Josemaría also said: “Place on your desk, [beside the computer], in your room, in your wallet..., a picture of our Lady, and look at it when you begin your work, while you're doing it, and when you finish. She will obtain, I assure you, the strength to turn your task into a loving dialogue with God."