One of the greatest and efficacious truths taught to us in our early years of catechism is that of the Presence of God. We were taught that God is everywhere – He is in Heaven and on Earth. He is continually present with us and His eye is ever upon us! No one ever was so mindful of this Presence of God as Mary! We can call upon Her and ask Her to help us to be as mindful of this as She is. Think of a world where everyone was mindful of the Presence of God! It could be an amazing novel – it would be Heaven on Earth! Even if just the entire Catholic Church did this – what a world we would live in!
What a consoling thought for us that wherever we turn, God is always with us! Not only is He in the Heaven above where His Beatific Vision is the joy of the blessed; not only is He here below in the sacred tabernacle, hidden under the lowly appearance of bread, to be the spiritual food of the faithful; He is always with us – forever at our side. He is with us at our rising, calling upon us to dedicate to Him our first thought of the day; He is with us at our work, helping us by His grace to sanctify our labors; He is with us at our going out and coming in, and when we take our rest, He is with us, watching over us. There is no spot, however secluded, where we can hide from His sight; there is no thought of our heart that He does not read, no action that we perform with which He is not familiar with. If God pervades the entire universe with His Presence, if He is ever near, beholding our every thought, our every desire, our every act – shouldn’t we be most careful, like Mary, never to offend His Divine Majesty? Shouldn’t we be most anxious, like Mary, to please Him in all we do and say? It is most advantageous to a soul to live in imitation of Mary practicing the Presence of God in our hearts, minds and souls. It helps him wonderfully to avoid sin, to practice virtue and to maintain a loving union with his Creator. To walk in the Presence of God consists in this; to recall from time to time the fact that He sees and hears us, that at all times and in all places He is near us; and to make it our habit to raise our heart to Him frequently and to offer fervent little prayers of praise, adoration and thanksgiving such as Mary did (and does) throughout our entire day. Nothing is more efficacious than this to preserve us from sin and to help us to grow in holiness and in union with God. If we practice the Presence of God, we will perform our duties well and faithfully, to act uprightly, to keep ourselves modest and pure, to be regular in our religious exercises, to be most careful in avoiding occasions of sin and to crush self-love which is the deadly foe of virtue. If in this sublime path we encounter obstacles and hindrances such as conquering human respect, repugnances of nature, persecutions from others, then the thought that God is with us and that He sees us will encourage us to surmount all and to endure all for Him. We will say with David, “The Lord is at my right hand, that I be not moved.” He is with me like a valiant warrior to protect me; my enemies will be put to flight, they will have no strength against me, they will be put to confusion. The victory will be on our side. Many of the saints knew and understood this. This is what gave them courage. Like Mary, let us continually lift our hearts in prayer at all times of the day; when we wake, when we travel, in the car, when we answer the phone (or hang it up), when we open or close a door, when we eat, when we greet others, before we retire to bed. During all of these times we can lift our hearts to God and say something simple but from the heart. “My God – how I love You.” “Sacred Heart of Jesus, may Your Kingdom come.” “Holy Mother Mary, pray for us.” “O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you.” “Jesus, Mary, I love You, save souls.” All of these examples are good but there are many more. If we say them at different times of the day – how they will add up. How they will lift our hearts to God. How we will pray without ceasing! How we will keep His Presence always before us – like Mary! The greatest reason to practice the Presence of God is to grow closer to Him in order to have the most rewarding moments spent in His True Presence before the Blessed Sacrament. If we find Eucharistic Adoration difficult, practicing the Presence of God throughout our day (it is a habit to be formed) will tremendously help us to be attentive to His Real Presence in the Blessed Sacrament. We will be able to place ourselves before Him in a more efficacious way because of our little darts of love given to Him throughout the day. We will be ready to truly give of ourselves and consequently truly to receive His many graces during this Hour of Eucharistic Adoration. It will be our Heaven before Heaven. May we Practice the Presence of God in imitation of Mary in order to be true imitators of Mary as true adorers of His Eucharistic Presence during our Hours of Adoration. May we be present to Him as He is present to us. May Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, pray for us!
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AuthorBernadette Porter is a Traditional Catholic, a wife of 44 years with 6 adult home-schooled children and 8 grandchildren. A sincere devotion to Mary, the Mother of God leads me to want to share "The Church's best kept secret" - Mary! Archives
February 2025
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