EASTER

The Beauty and Truth of the Catholic Church
Vol. IV
B. Herder, St. Louis, MO, 1816

Fr. Edward Jones
With Imprimatur and Nihil Obstat, 1916

Sermon IV:
The Presence of God in Us

"For in Him we live, and move, and are."-----ACTS 17, 28

With these words, so replete with significance, the great Apostle St. Paul teaches us not only the presence of God in the universe, but also in ourselves. By His omnipresence in creation God is the source and origin of all life and movement. Wherever we see life and movement we know that these exist only because God gives to all creatures and preserves for them life and movement. Just as the soul is present and active in man's whole body and in every member thereof, so God is also in creation. Therefore His presence is general, for by it God is present in every place, and in every creature with His Substance and His Omnipotence. He is in Heaven and on earth, in animate and inanimate creatures, in those that are endowed with intelligence and those that are without it, in material and immaterial. or spiritual beings. To all of them God gives and preserves existence, life and movement.

We also are in God and God is present in us men. "In Him we live, and move, and are." For this reason St. Augustine, the Bishop of Hippo, beautifully says: "Like an erring lamb, O Lord, I went about seeking Thee in the outer world whilst Thou wert within me . . . I strayed over the pathways of the world to find Thee, and I never found Thee, because it was unnecessary to seek Thee in the outside world when Thou wert within me. How long have I tarried to love Thee, O Beauty ever old and ever new, how long have I hesitated to love Thee! Thou art within me and I sought Thee outwardly and lost myself in the beauties that Thou hadst created. Thou art with me and I was not with Thee, for I was separated from Thee by Thy creatures, which cannot even exist without Thee." But how are we with God, and how is God with us? God is in us: 1. Like in the rest of creatures by His Substance, His Omniscience and Omnipotence; 2. God is in us in a still higher manner, namely by His Grace. The subject of today's meditation will be: we in God and God in us. May these considerations bear such fruit that we will always live in the presence of God and act in accordance with the words which God spoke to Abraham: "Walk before me, and thou wilt be perfect."

O Jesus, assist us with Thy grace!

1. We are in God. "In Him we live, and move, and are." Therefore we are in God, in God Who fills Heaven and earth with His presence. But where else could we well be if not in God? "Whither shall I go from Thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from Thy face? If I ascend into Heaven, Thou art there: if I descend into Hell, Thou art present. If I take my wings early in the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea: even there shall Thy hand lead me: and Thy right hand shall hold me" [Ps. 138, 7-10]. God surrounds us on all sides with His Substance, Omniscience and Omnipotence, just as we are surrounded by the air on all sides. Yes, Christian, God is thy house in which thou livest, and out of which thou canst never step. God, we might say, is thy bed where thou takest thy rest, and outside of which thou canst never find rest or peace. He is thy support and thy life, outside of which thou canst never find security, sustenance and life. He embraces thee, He bears thee within Himself as the mother doth her child. God Himself speaks as follows through the mouth of the Prophet Isaias [46, 3]: "Hearken unto Me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who are carried by My bowels, are borne up by My womb." For this reason the words of the Apostle are so fraught with significance: "In Him we live, and move, and are." Verily, here and everywhere we are in God: we act and live in God, surrounded by His Divine Majesty, borne up by His Omnipotence, glorified by His Beauty forever old and forever new, so that if for a moment our eyes were opened, we should behold ourselves enveloped by the reflex of His glory, as we are encompassed by the light of the sun.

However, we are not only in God, but God is also in us. God, by His Substance, Omniscience and Omnipotence, is in us in a more intimate and more effective manner than the soul, just as He is in the rest of His creatures. His Divine Nature is truly and effectually within us, consequently also His goodness which bestows on us existence and life, His wisdom which has given us intellect and understanding. His Omnipotence is united with our powers and sustains them in their efforts. He is with our eyes, so that they can see; with the ears so that they can hear; with the feet so that they can carry us on their way; He is with us so that memory can remember, the mind understand and the will will, and exercise itself. God is present in such a manner as if we were His abode. We cannot have the slightest thought or perform the least action without Him, yea, we would sink back into nothingness if God but for a moment. should withdraw Himself from us with His Presence and Omnipotence. But rejoice, Christian soul, that the presence of God is within thee; be glad for this immeasurable boon that is thy possession; just as the friend is glad of the presence of his friend, or as the weak man rejoices at the presence of the strong man, the poor of the rich, and the rich man of his prince. Art thou poor? Behold, in thee is God Whose wealth of mercy for thee knows no bounds. Have thou recourse to Him. Art thou weak and of little courage? With thee and in thee is the Eternal Omnipotence itself: creatures cannot help thee, but He can and will help thee. Dost thou feel that thou art abandoned? No, thou art not abandoned; God is still in and with thee, and thou art in God. And yet, how long wilt thou still go astray, how long wilt thou waste thy strength in the pursuit of vain shadows, and in estranging thyself from Him Who is so near to thee? How long wilt thou yet tarry and hesitate to love Him, Who is the beauty ever old and ever new, in union with Whom thou couldst be peaceful, contented and happy on earth, so that one day in Heaven thou couldst be still happier and more blessed in seeing Him face to face?

2. Secondly, God is in us in a higher manner, that is, in those of us who are without mortal sin. He is in the souls of the just with His grace and performs in them and with them works that are meritorious and worthy of eternal life. Hence the Apostle St. John says: "He that abideth in charity, abideth in God, and God in him" [1 John 4, 16]. God does not merely give and preserve by His presence the life and the powers of the body, but by His grace He gives and preserves the life of the soul and the works of love. By means of grace we participate in the Divine Nature, that is, in its holiness and purity. Grace is a Heavenly gift which so transforms man that he no longer lives the old corrupt life which he has inherited from Adam, but the new life which he has received from the Second Adam, Jesus Christ. Grace is the source of all virtues and meritorious works, so that it is for the soul what the soul is for the body. The soul gives the body beauty, life and strength, and grace gives the soul beauty, life and strength. The beauty of soul attendant upon grace is so extraordinary, that such a soul is called by the Scriptures a spouse of God. The life that it gives is so much higher and Divine that the Christian who possesses grace is a child and heir of God. Grace enables him to live and act as a child of God and an heir of Heaven, namely, to keep the Commandments of God, to withstand the temptations of lustful nature, to live a pure and holy life and to imitate Christ and His life. Such are the effects of the union of God with the soul of the just by means of His grace. This grace is the beginning of that eternal union with God in the eternity of bliss, where the soul will see God and possess everything that is His, as His bride, His daughter and His heiress.

It is true, we can neither see the union of God with the soul by means of grace nor the beauty of the soul in its participation in the Divine nature. But we understand it from the life, from the works and from the peace of the good Christian. Beautiful is the answer which St. Ephraim in the fourth century gave to this doubt: "How now? Do we then see the just of God, if they do good? Yes! if you do anything for the sake of God, it is done in His presence, and you see God thereby." St. John says: "God is charity." If thou only hast love, then thou wilt see Him Who is in thee. But in what manner dost thou see Him? Listen further! If you performed a good work, you feel joy; if you are obedient, gladness fills your soul. Love, therefore, is satisfaction, joy, rejoicing; it accomplishes with you a good work. Behold how God works with you! Everyone indeed knows Him who works with Him. Love, therefore, does not become visible to the eye of flesh; and we do not behold justice and sanctity with the eyes of the flesh, but love, sanctity and justice reveal themselves to the eyes of the spirit and with gladness rejoice over the good works which you perform. You see, therefore, God, for God is love! You behold also the virtue of abstinence and modesty, not with bodily eyes, but you can see their effects; in the same way you can see God by love, although you do not behold Him with your bodily eyes. Why does St. John say: "Nobody has as yet seen God?" [1 John 1, 18]. Surely no one has seen the greatness or the Nature of God; Saints have seen Him through signs and types or images; now the Saints on earth behold Him through His works in their hearts.

3. God is therefore in us, and we in God. What greatness, what majesty is this to be ever mindful of the presence of God! What indeed moved the Apostles and the disciples to practice the high virtues which our Divine Lord demanded, with a joyful heart, if not the presence of Jesus constantly before their eyes? As often as they beheld Him in spirit, they were reminded of their duty; the teachings which He had given to them came vividly before their minds, as also the glorious promises with which He encouraged them and spurred them on. The same effect will the presence of Almighty God have upon us if we often and frequently think of Him. This thought awakens in us the Divine doctrine, the Commandments and the promises of an eternal reward for our fidelity. And indeed the thought: "God sees me, He understands and knows all that I think and do," is of such a power that it banishes sin, holds back the desires of sensuality and assists virtue in its triumph. "God sees me," if this truth is vividly realized, the soul is filled with a secret terror of committing any sin in the presence of the Divine Majesty, in the presence of its Judge, in the presence of the Lord of life and death, be it a sin of desire or of deed; evil at once loses its allurement, temptation its power, and Christian virtue shines luminously forth before all. Therefore God Himself said to Abraham: "Walk before me and be perfect" [Gen. 17, 1]. The Saints were always penetrated with this consciousness, and for this reason they arrived at such a high state of virtue and perfection which made them like unto God. Just as the moon needs the presence of the sun and receives from it its light and brilliancy, and becomes more and more brilliant the more it is turned towards the sun, and less so the farther it recedes from it,-----so is it with us. God is our Sun, the Sun of Justice. The more we are related to Him and walk before and in Him, the more shall we be filled with this Divine light and the more shall we receive of the justice and the perfection of God. But the farther we are away from God and the more we forget His presence the more shall we dwell in darkness and injustice and increase in sinfulness. "He has not God before his eyes-----says the Royal Prophet of the sinner,-----therefore his ways are at all times besmirched with sin."

May the thought ever be before our minds, my dearly beloved: "God sees me! " This thought will preserve us from sin, strengthen us in temptations and enable us to lead a truly Christian life. Yes, to walk before God, here on earth, to live with God and in God, this is nothing else than an examination which we undergo on earth to prove whether we wish to become worthy to live for all eternity in the presence of God. Here on earth we behold His presence only as in a mirror, in the creation, in ourselves, in good works, in a good conscience and by faith; in Heaven, however, face to face; here our life in the presence of God is meritorious, but there it is rewarded; here is the beginning of joy and of peace, but there full possession of eternal joy and of eternal peace. Therefore I conclude with the words of the one hundred and fourth Psalm: " Seek ye the Lord, and be strengthened: seek His face ever more." Amen.

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