If you get into the habit of being in the presence of God, you will finally have him with you everywhere!”, said Saint Teresa of Avila. Here are some practical tips for continually living in the presence of God.
Believe and imagine that Jesus is near you
Jesus, we do not see Him or touch Him like all other people, but we know by faith that the resurrected Christ is alive and accompanies us on the path of life. As the blind man perceives the presence of another person at his side, I feel and am sure of the presence of God near me. I know He listens to me. I believe that I have always had Him at my side and in me and that even now He is here. I can “take him” with me everywhere, talk familiarly with him, ask him for light and strength, and enjoy his company.
One of the most beautiful prayers that celebrate this omnipresence of God is Psalm 138
You examine me, Lord, and you know! You know when I sit down, when I get up; from afar, you penetrate my thoughts. Whether I walk or rest, you see, all my paths are familiar to you. Before a word reaches my lips, already, Lord, you know it. You precede me and pursue me, you surround me, and you put your hand on me. Prodigious knowledge that surpasses me, a height that I cannot reach! Where can you go, far from your breath? Where can I escape, far from your face? I climb the heavens: you are there; I go down to the dead: here you are. I take the wings of dawn and land beyond the seas: even there, your hand leads me, and your right hand grasps me. I said: “The darkness is crushing me!” but the night became light around me! Even darkness is not darkness for you, and night as day is light! It is you who created my loins, who woven me in my mother’s womb. I recognize before you the prodigy, the astonishing being that I am: astonishing are your works, my whole soul knows it. My bones were not hidden from you when I was fashioned in secret, modeled in the bowels of the earth. I was still unfinished, you saw me; in your book, all my days were written, counted before a single one was!
Look with a look of faith
With a look of faith, everything reveals the presence of God, everything. Things, events, and people. God is in all creation since He gives it existence and preserves it. Creatures possess the characteristics of their Maker and in them, we can discover the attributes, the essential qualities, of who made them. We can recognize God in people because He created them in His image and likeness and because sanctifying grace courses through their veins.
God is there, and wants to reveal himself, to make himself known to us, it depends on each one to open their eyes with a look of faith and to recognize him. The opposite would be a kind of blindness or myopia.
Examine your conscience every day with gratitude.
God’s Providence is present in history and in your personal history, that of every day. Don’t let this escape your notice.
God generally manifests himself through the actions and words of other people, through present graces that the Holy Spirit will grant you, opportunities to grow, sacraments, etc. Big events are not necessary, God offers us the gifts of his Love in a very simple way. It is about being attentive to capturing his providential intervention, being receptive, being humble, attributing merit to him, blessing him, and giving him thanks.
If every day, at the end of the day, you set aside time to discover how God has made himself present in your life and to thank him, you will thereby apply a very effective means of cultivating accustomed to the presence of God.
Use jaculatory (from the Latin “baculum”: arrow, javelin)
In his Treatise on Prayer and Meditation, Saint Peter of Alcantara recommends ejaculations, which “help to keep the continual memory of God and to always walk in his presence”. A very brief prayer, a cry from the heart that rushes towards God.
The aim of ejaculatory prayers is the union of the soul with God. The jaculatory are short prayers, which we address to God amid daily activities, putting into them all the strength of our faith and all the affection of our hearts.
“Lord, you know everything, you know well that I love you” “The Lord is my shepherd: nothing can fail me” “I am in your hands. Thy will be done” “You are my rock and my salvation” “Jesus, meek and humble of heart, restore my heart, make my heart like yours” “Holy Spirit, enlighten me” “Lord, make me see ” “Lord, increase my faith” “Saint Mary of Guadalupe, pray for us” “Mary, I am all yours” “Sacred Heart of Jesus, I trust in You” “My Lord and my God” “Lord, pity me”
Perform Eucharistic adorations and spiritual communions
When we speak of the presence of God, is there a greater presence than that of the Eucharist? Christ Eucharist: the faithful and close presence. If there is a chapel at your university, or near your work, you can go and visit Christ in the Eucharist once a day. Maybe you just pass by by chance, or maybe you have the opportunity to pass a church every day? So you could get into the habit of greeting him, even if only for a few minutes. What you do with your fiancée, with your wife, or with your parents. A simple way to maintain your love.
Sometimes you would like to receive the Eucharist and that is not possible. You can then achieve spiritual communion, wherever you are. It consists of pausing and expressing to Jesus Christ the desire to receive him in the sacrament of the Eucharist and asking him for the grace to receive him spiritually.
You can imagine yourself near Jesus at the Last Supper, leaning in thought on his chest and telling him in your own words how much you desire to receive him. You can also use formulas from Saint Alphonsus of Liguori :
I believe, my Jesus, that you are truly present in the most Holy Sacrament of the altar. I love you above all things and I ardently desire to receive you into my soul. Since I am incapable of receiving You sacramentally, at least enter my heart spiritually. (Keep silent and express your love for Jesus to Jesus). I embrace You as if You were already there and I unite myself entirely to You. Never allow me to be separated from You. So be it.”
Pray before your daily activities
Acquiring the habit of praying before usual activities particularly helps to stimulate the presence of God. You eat three times a day, you can bless the meal three times a day. When you leave your home, you can ask God for protection. When you are about to start your work day, you can make the sign of the cross. When you come home each day, you can kiss a Bible, a crucifix, or an image of the Virgin Mary, which you will place at the entrance.
Light a candle and carry a crucifix in your bag or pocket
The flame of a candle can remind you of the Risen Christ (like the Paschal candle) and His presence in your heart. You can have a candle in your office, in the kitchen, or wherever you spend a lot of time every day, and light it from time to time. The lit candle can help you evoke the presence of the resurrected Christ at your side and in you.
There are many other ways that everyone can find: a friend who has long been accustomed to the presence of God, the crucifix in your pocket… several times a day, put your hand in your bag or your pocket, squeeze hold the crucifix strong and say a word to Jesus.
