The present moment is a unique intersection of the divine and the human where the spiritual and the material worlds converge. As Catholics, we are offered a glimpse of the transcendent in the midst of the ordinary. In Matthew 11:28-39, Jesus says, “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
For many of us, we desire this rest but don’t understand how to engage with the Eternal Presence of God. How do we receive the healing power of God’s rest and transformation inside His humble heart?
God is in the Present
God is ever-present and transcends time and space. When Moses stood before the burning bush, in Exodus 3:14, God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” He said further, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘I Am has sent me to you.’” In John 8:54 we learn, “Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.’”
God is not confined to the past or the future but is eternally present in the here and now. This is why the present moment is where God reveals Himself to us.
In Psalm 46:10, God tells us to, “Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.” In Matthew 18:3, He warns us, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” When we settle ourselves in the present moment, humble ourselves as a little child to watch God’s Divine Work, we connect ourselves unreservedly with anticipation and trust.
How to Stay In the Present Moment
Most of us struggle to fully embrace the present moment. We often find ourselves distracted by the past or preoccupied with the future, leaving little room for God in the here and now. Our focus becomes our fears, desires, or regrets. This focus chains us to what was, or what may be, and all of our energy gets poured into these daydreams.
“Be still and know that I am God” calms this universal tendency. Without this holy stillness, we don’t see the haste and frenzy that keeps us far from God. But how can we learn this stillness?
Embrace Grace
The Catechism teaches, “Grace is a participation in the life of God.”1 Grace is God’s supernatural gift of Himself to us and all the favor and expression of His love for us. We don’t deserve or merit this gift. And we can’t control the way grace shows up in our lives. But it is always inviting us into a deeper relationship with God.
Living in this relationship with God and being attentive to His movements in our lives allows us to embrace grace in a deeper, more meaningful way. By fully embracing the present and living in humility to God’s Presence, we can open ourselves up to the abundant grace God wants to pour into our lives. Each present moment is an opportunity to encounter God’s transformative power and allow it to flow out of our lives.
Recollection
The ancient Catholic practice of recollection means purposefully taking time to acknowledge that everything we do, we do in the presence of God.
The Catholic Encyclopedia tells us:
Recollection, as understood in respect to the spiritual life, means attention to the presence of God in the soul. It includes the withdrawal of the mind from external and earthly affairs in order to attend to God and Divine things. It is the same as interior solitude in which the soul is alone with God.2
It goes on to say that Recollection as a practice requires three things:
- silence and solitude, according to our state of life, keeping in mind, at the same time, that one may be recollected amidst the duties of an active life;
- the avoidance of distracting and dissipating occupations not dictated by reason or required by necessity. A multiplicity of occupations is an obstacle to recollection. Father Faber says that the man who undertakes too much is a foolish man, if not a guilty one.
- The frequent exercise of the presence of God. As recollection is itself an application of the mind to the Divine presence within us, it is evident that the shortest way to its acquisition is frequently to call to mind that our souls are the temples of God.3
In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Paul commands us, “pray without ceasing.” Recollection asks us to acknowledge that our every activity speaks with God. Our body language speaks to Him not just when we encounter Him, but also when we encounter others. Our response of trust and surrender speaks to Him when we encounter trials. Our decision to sin or engage in holy activity speaks to Him. When we begin to humbly acknowledge our actions speak louder than words, we can begin to be honest with ourselves about our relationship with God. In a quiet and loving conversation with Him, we can begin to give ourselves to the duties of our state in life and the needs of those around us with greater generosity.
Remember Your Death
Hebrews 9:26-28 reminds us, “And just as it is appointed for mortals to die once, and after that the judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.” Paul tells us in 1 Cor. 15:16, “The last enemy to be overcome is death.”
Memento Mori is a Latin phrase for, “Remember your death.” The ancient meditation of Memento Mori actively brings to mind your death to align your priorities. We use images of death such as skulls and hourglasses to remind us life is short, death awaits all of us, and we will all face judgment. St. Thomas A Kempis gave us Meditations on Death in 1523. This devotional leads us through the contemplation of the four last things: Death, Judgement, Heaven, and Hell. Another similar devotional, Preparation for Death, was given to us by St. Alphonsus Ligouri.
While life may sometimes feel long and endless, time is actually fleeting, making it all the more precious and significant. At our death, we will be called to account for the time we wasted pursuing pleasure, running from our fears, and chasing worldly acclaim. Regularly calling this to mind motivates us to pursue righteousness and develop virtue. The choices we make with our time have a significant impact on our spiritual growth and our relationship with God.
Prioritize God’s Will
Living in the moment requires carefully managing our boundaries and cultivating our priorities within the Divine Will of God. When we don’t take the time to prioritize our tasks and create space for rest and reflection, our accumulated responsibilities leave little room for being present in the moment or being prepared for unexpected opportunities or challenges.
Setting time within your calendar to retreat from all responsibilities and engagements for a few minutes a day, for a few days a month, or even a week a year gives you space to reevaluate. Retreats allow us to spend time with God, refocus, and regroup. Even saints like Padre Pio and St. Thérèse of Lisieux humbly took time to retreat from their lives, enter into the Divine, and surrender.
Retreating from the world, away from your everyday rushing, allows you to gain perspective and listen to the voice of God. Retreats are offered at convents and monasteries all over the world. They can be part of pilgrimages to locations near or far. They can also be a time you set aside within your own home to read books specially designed for this purpose.
Develop a Growth Mindset
“…but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead” Philippians 3:13
Developing a growth mindset in your spiritual life is crucial. A growth mindset is the outlook that we can learn and grow from challenges and setbacks. By embracing this mindset, we become open to new opportunities for growth in the difficulties of life, even those caused by our mistakes. The virtues of patience, fortitude, diligence, fervor, and the theological virtue of Hope are all fostered by this mindset.
Meditative prayer, especially Eucharistic Adoration, and journaling can help us gain a deeper understanding of ourselves. By regularly reflecting on our thoughts and emotions, in God’s presence, we can become more attuned to reality and ready to seek growth.
Ground Ourselves
Sometimes our minds and nervous systems are so overstimulated, that we can’t settle ourselves in the stillness of God. Other times, we find ourselves so traumatized by life, we feel dissociated from our own feelings and emotions. We feel numb and listless, unable to connect with God. Grounding ourselves through our senses by focusing on what we can see, hear, touch, taste, and smell in the present moment allows us to anchor ourselves in reality and reduce the pull of past or future thoughts.
When we participate in the Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, prayer meditations, or contemplative devotions, we are training our minds to experience God through the immediate senses. Allow your senses to orient you to God in time and space. Take the time to notice the wood of the pew, the iconography around you, the smell of the incense, the flicker of candlelight, or the way the sun dances through the stained glass and bounces off the sheen of the gold fixtures. Call to mind the Saints and angels which fill the expanse above and around you, the guardian angels which enter with each person, and the Presence of Jesus waiting for you in the Eucharist. Consider His love and eagerly await Him in return. Let these thoughts draw you up into the mysteries and stir up holy affections and desires. In Psalm 34:8 we are instructed, “O taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in him.”
Surrender In The Face Of Overwhelm
When we procrastinate on important tasks or disregard responsibilities, we miss out on opportunities for growth and fulfillment. These missed opportunities often result from constantly feeling overwhelmed and anxious.
When we are overwhelmed, our minds become preoccupied with worries and concerns, making it difficult to focus on the present moment. Matthew 6:27 asks us, “And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?”
This constant worry can result in a lack of clarity and hinder our ability to be fully engaged in our daily lives. A few verses later, we are told, “But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ‘So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.’”
Letting go of attachments to the past and future doesn’t mean forgetting or ignoring. Rather acknowledge their presence and consciously choose to bring attention back to God in the present moment. Prayers such as the Surrender Novena or the Litany of Trust can be prayed with the intention to let go of our worry and control in order to allow God to make Himself known in our lives. His grace is sufficient.
Life In God’s Presence
As Catholics, our relationship with God within the present moment is a lifelong journey of deepening our faith, letting go of attachments, and surrendering to God’s will.
Living in the present moment requires intentionality and practice. By turning our attention back to the here and now, we can fully immerse ourselves in prayer, meditation, and contemplation, and be better able to offer our works and struggles to the Lord.
The present moment is infused with God’s grace for us to fulfill our unique duties and seize the precise opportunities God places before us. We deepen our relationship with God and learn to love and serve those nearest. Each present moment is a chance for us to advance toward who God intends us to be while He loves us as we are in that moment.
“To escape the distress caused by regret for the past or fear about the future, this is the rule to follow: leave the past to the infinite mercy of God, the future to His good Providence, give the present wholly to His love by being faithful to His grace.”
Jean-Pierre de Caussade
- Catechism of the Catholic Church: Complete and Updated. Crown Publishing Group, 1995. #1997
↩︎ - https://www.catholic.com/encyclopedia/humility ↩︎
- Ibid. ↩︎
