Oblates of St. Francis de Sales

New DeSales World Newsletter - Summer Edition

5TH SUNDAY OF EASTER (May 6, 2007)

Suggested Emphasis

"God's dwelling is with the human race...God will always be with them."

Salesian Perspective

In Part II, Chapter 2 of his Introduction to the Devout Life, St. Francis de Sales wrote: "God is in all things and in all places. There is no place or thing in this world where God is not truly present. Just as where birds fly they always encounter the air, so also wherever we go or wherever we are, we find ourselves in God's presence."

Easier said than done.

Truth is, we frequently lose sight of God's abiding, loving, and challenging presence. When we forget this truth we frequently get into trouble: "Blind men do not see a prince who is present among them, and therefore they do not show him the respect that they do after being told of his presence. However, because they do not actually see him they easily forget his presence, and having again forgotten it, they still more easily forget the respect and reverence owed to him...Likewise, we really know that God is present in all things, but because we do not reflect on that fact, we act as if we did not know this." (Ibid)

When we forget about God's presence we sin; we fail to give God the respect that God deserves. When we forget about God's presence we sin; we fail to give others the respect that they deserve. We might say: "Out of sight, out of sync." When we fail to see God we are more likely to think, feel and act in ways that are out of sync with who and how God calls us to be.

The Good News is that remembering God's presence not only provides a potent prescription for avoiding sin. Remembering God's presence also places tremendous power, possibility and potential at our disposal. Practically speaking, remembering God's presence enables us to be on our best behavior, to be our best, to live lives of love, to do our part in helping to fashion family, church and community in which every tear is wiped away, to create places and relationships in which there is no more death or mourning, wailing or pain. As one sentence in a sermon suggests, we should: "Give God what is right rather than what is left over."

In short, seeing a God who is always with us puts us in touch with the ability (with God's grace), as we hear in the Book of Revelation, "to make all things new." It empowers us to follow St. Francis de Sales' exhortation: "Wherever we may be, we can and should aspire to live a perfect life." (Introduction to the Devout Life, Part I, Chapter 3). It empowers us to be who we are, and to be that well, in the service of God and one another.

That's a presence -- and a power -- worth remembering

Rev. Michael S. Murray, OSFS, is the Executive Director of the De Sales Spirituality Center.