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Macrina Wiederkehr, O.S.B.: Real presence
Everything can bless us, but we’ve got to be there for the blessing to occur. Being present with quality is a decision we are invited to make each day. It is another way to become like God.
Due to the reality of our terribly distracted, cluttered, and noisy existence, the decision for real presence is not easy. If we can make this decision and live it, it will be a kind of salvation for us. It can save us from many kinds of death: the death of apathy and mediocrity, the death of carelessness, the death of boredom, the death of selfishness, the death of meaninglessness. There is nothing so healing in all the world as real presence. Our real presence can feed the ache for God in others. (A Tree Full of Angels: Seeking the Holy in the Ordinary, HarperCollins)
Reflection questions
1. What is one unexpected blessing in your life?
2. What does “real presence” mean to you? How do you make the decision to be present both yourself and others?
Wiederkehr is a Benedictine sister at St. Scholastica Monastery in Fort Smith, Arkansas, a retreat master, and author.
