Practicing the Presence of God

"Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thess 5:16-18).

"He told them a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary" (Luke 18:1).

We are like God, but God is not like us.

Our ability to focus on others in our life is limited. If we give our time and attention to one person, we exclude all of the other people in our life at that time.

God is infinite in all perfections and is outside of time.

God can give undivided, personal attention to each one of His children without taking anything away from any of His other children.

God is with us every moment of every day of our lives--"24 x 7 x 365."

Attentiveness to others wearies us. Sooner or later we need to rest from our labors of love.

God is never wearied by His love for us. He has infinite resources at His disposal.

We are burdened by concupiscence, unconscious motives, and wounds from our past.

God is free from the effects of sin. He has no unconscious drives and no unhealthy patterns in His relationships. His love and His judgments are always free, gracious, magnanimous, compassionate, and completely reliable.

We sometimes find the attention of others--even others whom we love--somewhat oppressive. There are times when we want to be left alone, whether we are in joy or sorrow.

God's presence is never oppressive. God does not take hostages. He does not manipulate us to act against our own will or to suppress our true self.

The Jesus Prayer

The Eastern Churches (Orthodox and Catholic) have preserved an ancient tradition of constant prayer. The goal is to pray the Jesus Prayer with each breath we take, no matter what else we are doing.

• "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner."[1]
• The Philokalia.

Brother Lawrence

• The Practice of the Presence of God.

"To practice the presence of God in the Brother Lawrence tradition we walk before God simply, in faith, with humility, and with love. We engage in a continual, silent, and affectionate conversation with Our Father. Out of love for Him, we strive to do nothing and think nothing which may displease God."[2]

Consecrate your day

I learned the Morning Offering in high school and use it as my first prayer when I wake up. There are many variants of this prayer--pick one that works for you.

The Morning Offering

"O, my Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you all of my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day, for all of the intentions of Your Sacred Heart: for the salvation of souls, for the reparation of sin, and for the reunion of all Christians; for Benedict XVI and for his intentions; for the Apostleship of Prayer and for the Apostolate of Holy Motherhood."

Momentary prayers

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of short prayers in the Catholic tradition that we can use to remind us of God's presence and action in our daily life. The only take a moment to say and can be said repeatedly (as with the Jesus Prayer). Feel free to make up your own momentary prayers and use them as much as you find helpful.

• "Jesus, I trust in you."
• "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph."
• "I adore you, O Christ, and I bless you, because by your Holy Cross you are redeeming me."
• "My Jesus, mercy!"
• "I love You, Jesus, my love."

Mom's prayer

My mother taught me to repeat the "Glory Be" while asking St. Anthony for help in finding things and while asking the Holy Spirit for help during times of anxiety, especially while waiting for an exam to start.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.