Wherever my soul wanders,
this is the truth that pulls me back to home,
anchors me near the shore of grace,
clarifies the cloudy water,
and helps me say yes to whatever is before me:
This present moment is what I have and God is in it.
I can call it mindfulness.
I can explain it as choosing to focus.
I can call myself back to the silence of pause.
I can quote the verse “Be still and know that I am God.”
and when I settle myself in that liminal space, I am resting in the Presence.
The rest of this post consists of a series of quotes from Jean Pierre de Caussade (JPC) which found their way into my journal. I share them to urge you to keep returning to this present moment, for truly God is here.
(I read the version pictured here, translated by Kitty Muggeridge, and published by HarperCollins. I’d gladly loan you mine, but you’ll probably want to have your own copy so you can do your own underlining.)
God speaks to every individual
through what happens to them
moment by moment. (JPC)
No moment is trivial...(JPC)
The only condition necessary for the state of self-surrender
is the present moment in which the soul,
light as a feather,
fluid as water,
innocent as a child,
responds to every movement of grace like a floating balloon. (JPC)
When the present moment
terrifies, crushes,
lays waste,
and overwhelms the senses,
God nourishes, strengthens, and revives faith. (JPC)
Precious moment,
how small in the eyes of my head,
how great in those of my heart,
the means whereby I receive small things
from the Father who reigns in heaven. (JPC)
Our souls can only be truly nourished, strengthened, enriched, and satisfied
by the bounty of the present moment.
What more can we ask? (JPC)
We have this moment,
the sacrament of the present moment.
where God is,
where we live our lives,
where we meet the One who is fully present, Presence.
What more could we ask? HumminB.