Live Constantly in the Presence of the Lord

By Fr. Christopher Foeckler, MJ • Phoenix, AZ

In the midst of all the concerns of our daily lives about health, safety, and the direction of the world these days, there is a straightforward, yet challenging, formula for living well, peacefully and even joyfully as followers of Christ. At the end of his first letter to the Thessalonians, St. Paul says very matter of factly, “Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.” There it is: the formula of living in peace and joy always! Notice, too, it is in the imperative mode – it is a command, not just an exhortation for the generous, rather it is “the will of God for you in Christ Jesus!” Would God command the impossible?

You may be asking yourself as I did in reflecting on this: how in the world do we accomplish these? It seems other worldly and has little to do with the world we actually live in here and now! Rejoicing and giving thanks always are things for heaven, not this vale of tears. Cutting to the chase because of our space limit here, the key I believe is “praying without ceasing” since both rejoicing and thanksgiving are fruits of something else happening.

If we only pray while moving our lips or on our knees, we pray very little as Fr. Roeherbach OCD says, yet St. Paul is telling us to “Pray without ceasing”. Now, in its broadest sense, prayer is the lifting of the mind and heart to God. That we can pray while busy with other occupations is the key to praying constantly. This is what Brother Lawrence of the Trinity calls the “practice of the presence of God”. It is to live and think constantly in the presence of God. We know by faith that the Lord God dwells in us by sanctifying grace, hence He is present to us in every moment and every circumstance of our lives! To live in the awareness of His presence by faith is to allow God access to our lives continually. And recall that St. Paul also says in Romans 8:28, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.” By continually being aware of God’s loving presence to us, we can rejoice much and be grateful in every circumstance if we firmly believe that God is a Father who loves His children and turns what is meant for evil against us into good for us. (cf Gen 50)

And if this seems beyond us, St. Paul concludes with this reassurance: “The One who calls you is faithful, and He will also accomplish it.”