The Healing Practice of the Presence of God

Friends, we are in the Fourth Sunday of Lent, and I hope you are finding time to pray more and spend intimate moments with the Lord.

One of the purposes of Lent is to grow deeper in our spiritual lives. When we speak of growing deeper in our spiritual lives, we don’t merely refer to a life of penance and sacrifice; rather, we envision a life rich with the abundant graces of peace, joy, and contentment. This is God’s promise to all of us who strive to be closer to Him through prayer.

Brother Lawrence, in his book The Practice of the Presence of God, which Pope Leo XIV highly recommends for spiritual reading, discusses this profound truth. He contends, “God has infinite treasures to give us. Why should we be satisfied with a brief moment of worship? With such meager devotion, we restrain the flow of God’s abundant grace. If God can find a soul filled with lively faith, He pours His grace into a torrent that, having found an open channel, gushes out exuberantly.” This is why Brother Lawrence refers to those who complain about being satisfied with too little as blind. He states that God has infinite treasures to offer us.

I suggest that this is how we should understand the Gospel reading this Sunday, which recounts the healing of the blind man from birth. Jesus desired for him to experience healing not only physically but also spiritually. By spiritual healing, we mean an authentic sense of joy gained from encountering the Person of Christ, who brings wholeness into our lives.

This is my wish for all of you this Lent: that you may encounter and experience the presence of Christ more profoundly every day of your lives. Nothing is more joyous and healing than experiencing God’s presence daily.

In my homilies, I often speak about conversing with Jesus as a friend every day of our lives. The book The Practice of the Presence of God illustrates this intimacy with Christ through Brother Lawrence’s life:

In the beginning, Brother Lawrence noted the little effort needed to cultivate the habit of continuously conversing with God, sharing everything that was happening. However, after a little careful practice, God’s love refreshed him, and it all became quite easy. Whenever he considered doing some good deed, he always consulted God about it, saying, “Lord, I will never be able to do that if You don’t help me.” Immediately, he was given more than enough strength. When he sinned, he confessed it to God with these words: “I can do nothing better without You. Please keep me from falling and correct the mistakes I make.” After that, he did not feel guilty about the sin. Brother Lawrence pointed out that he spoke very simply and frankly to God. He asked for help with things as he needed it, and his experience showed that God never failed to respond.

I wish for all of you the same intimate and personal relationship with God—a life of prayer that is wholly and simply centered on God’s presence. I hope that this Lent and Easter will be a time of abundant treasures of peace and joy in the Risen Lord!

In Christ’s love,