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Whenever we pray, we usually think of God in His
heaven. He is there and we are here on our little blue and white
planet. It isn’t easy for us to conceive of Him as a Spirit who is
everywhere. Our human intellects almost need to give Him body and
shape. We are not very good at imagining the spiritual world.Yet,
the words of Tennyson, strike me as nearer to the truth than most
mind pictures of God: “Closer is He than the breathing, and nearer
than hands and feet.”
Powerful. We say that God is
everywhere, but we hardly imagine Him in the depths of our inner
selves. Yet, He resides in us in a very real way all the time. I
deeply believe that. Even when we do craziness, He is there within
us.
He communicates with us by
“talking” to our minds, by the thoughts that come racing into
our heads and by the conscience that lies within each of us.
When thoughts of God flash
through our minds, that is Him using the human in us to get in touch
with the divine. That is Him reaching out to us in His own gentle
manner.
When we see the incredible
beauty, the powerful forces, the wonderful workings of nature and
are reminded of Him, that is Him deep within us “talking” to us.
When we are led to be kind, to do
good, it is Him prompting us to do so, even if, ironically, we
insist that we sometimes doubt His existence.
When we do evil, are unfair and
hurt others as well as ourselves, He still remains in us,
communicating with us by pricking our conscience.
I cannot accept that when we sin
we drive Him away because I cannot conceive of we silly humans
having the power to move God out of lives, to push Him out of our
world, to eject Him from our hearts.
We may think we do, but no, He
still there in a corner of our selves, perhaps quiet for the moment,
or maybe reminding us of the consequences of our actions.
Not outside of us, but right
there within us. We might want to turn away from Him or put Him out
of our mind, but still He remains. For we cannot push God around and
order Him out of our lives. We don’t have that capability.
When we wish to put ourselves in
the presence of God, we need not look for Him for He is just there
within our being. All we have to do is desire Him and want to reach
out to Him. Then, He will step out of the shadows of our heart and
we will recognize Him. If we listen carefully, we will hear Him. If
we wish to worship Him, all we need to do is look within us and
acknowledge His presence. Tennyson is right: “Closer is He than
breathing, and nearer than hands and feet.” Maybe that is why we
have been told since we were kids that our bodies are temples of the
Holy Spirit.
If you have problems about
drugs, alcohol and behavior/attitude call my office at 8206107 or
8251771 or e-mail me at gvcbuenca@vasia.com or write me at P.O. Box
2099 MCPO, Makati City.
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