Desire and Surrender to God's Presence

One of the primary attributes of the Divine ("God") is omnipresence, that is, God is present everywhere at each moment of time. There is no place or time that God is not present.^*

The issue is not whether God is present but, rather, whether you are present to God in each moment. It is not about you finding God, it is about you allowing God to find you. This is an act of faith and trust in the underlying reality of God's unconditional, loving presence, which is always there, but requires your desire and willingness to encounter it, to be open to it with humility, self-awareness or mindfulness and, when you encounter it, to lovingly surrender to it.

Some of the ways that God invites you to experience God's presence are: trusting in God's infinite love and mercy, letting go of distractions, anxiety, doubt, or fears that may block your ability to feel and experience God's presence; spending time in prayer and quiet reflection, allowing stillness and silence to create space in your mind and heart to commune with God and listen for God's voice speaking to you; participating in communal worship and encountering God's grace in receiving the Sacraments; reading and meditating on Scripture, allowing you to hear God's voice and understand God's teachings and will for you more clearly; spending time experiencing and enjoying nature and the diversity of God's creation; practicing gratitude and kindness to others; being fully aware of and present to each moment that presents itself to you, without preconceptions or judgment, trusting in God's goodness and grace to guide you in how to respond, especially to the daily challenges you may face; and by loving and selflessly serving 0thers, especially those in need, through the promptings and guidance of the Holy Spirit, embodying Jesus Christ's teachings and ways in your thoughts, will, words and actions, and allowing the power of God's love to work in and through you.

* This attribute of God presents a variety of philosophical and theological questions that are beyond the scope of this post. For a discussion on some of these issues, you may wish to consult the article "Omnipresence," in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

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