“There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the Lord, as water covers the sea.”

 

Readings from the Prophet Isaiah, like this found in chapter 11, at times tell of great destruction emanating from God’s wrath, but also give a glimpse of a peace and joy that will never end for those who love God and strive to live according to His will and teachings. This oft-quoted section about God’s holy mountain, the harmony there between animals that currently are enemies, and the safety of children guiding lions and playing with snakes that are dangerous in this world is one in particular that gives us a vision of what can and will be once there is fulfillment of the justice and faithfulness of Jesus.

 

God’s presence, of course, is here on earth and indeed “in Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). We live because the Holy Spirit is within our souls, and He also animates all living things.

 If God should ever forget us, we would instantly cease to exist, is how some have described 

the reality.

 

But believing that all of creation exists in God doesn’t mean we can sense Him with us now like we will someday on His holy mountain, as Isaiah describes. Even here on our poor, corrupted earth, God sustains all peoples to the extent that, if we asked Him at any moment, He could tell us instantly the number of hairs on the head of anyone we point to (see Luke 12:7).

 

We grow in faith when we remind ourselves of God’s presence with us. Bogged down in daily life as we are most of the time, that remembering can take some effort.

 

One Carmelite friar — known as Brother Lawrence — embodied what he called the practice of the presence of God. He worked as a monastery cook for many years, and it was a job that did not fit him or suit him well. But he persevered and rejoiced in God among the pots and pans, vegetables and soups. The author of a small book about him noted that at times, Brother Lawrence simply had to prostrate himself on the floor of the kitchen in praise of God, overwhelmed by His goodness.

 

Brother Lawrence worked at remembering God, believing in Him, talking with Him throughout each day. It was an effort for him, just as it will be an effort for us to develop the habit. But what a perfect time Advent can be to work on such a wonderful, habitual practice.

 

Some people find it helpful to place sticky notes with a word or phrase about God on their computer monitors, on their bathroom mirrors, and other places they frequent throughout the day. Those and other tricks may be useful at least for a while to briefly derail our train of thought to focus on “the reason for the season” as the saying goes.

 

Becoming more aware of God each day will come in handy beyond Advent and prompt us to pray more spontaneously as we face the challenges great and small that are in our lives. No concern is too small or too big, says St. Peter in his instruction to “Cast all your cares on Him because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). 

 

God is there to help our driving, our work and home projects, our bouts of loneliness, and any frustrations or unexpected glitches. He also is available to share a moment of humor, and of course we are welcome to thank Him when something goes right or when we notice a beautiful sunset or flower or child. We can ask Him to bless our family members, our ill friends, our dog or cat. We can ask His blessing upon pedestrians, birds, the squirrel trying to cross the road up ahead, and the very earth itself.

 

We don’t have to limit our prayers and times of connection with God to Mass or other prayer times, important as they are.

 

At all times, beginning now in this Advent season of anticipation, may we learn to live in the presence of God!