St. Francis de Sales, in his Introduction to the Devout Life, suggests we “take patiently the petty annoyances, the trifling discomforts, the unimportant losses which come upon all of us daily, for by means of these little matters, lovingly and freely accepted, you will give [God] your whole heart.” Over the centuries, some have called this approach an awareness of “the sacrament of the moment.” Others have called it “the grace of the here and now.”
Isn’t it true that every moment of life is an opening to surprise and delight? Isn’t it also true that the past holds lessons, the future embraces promise, but the present bursts upon us with grace? To put it another way, God was there in the past and will be present in the future, but God is “most” alive in the now. God even calls Himself by a name that signifies the present: “Tell the people,” God says to Moses in Exodus 3,14, “that the one who is called I AM has sent me to you.”
Every second of life is, indeed, infused with God’s grace. To feel God’s power, energy, and consolation, we need only open ourselves to an awareness of (and appreciation for) that gift. Each moment is holy if approached with mindfulness and welcome.
Let us pray. “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardship as a pathway to peace; taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; trusting that you will make all things right if I surrender to your will; so that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with you forever in the next. Amen.”
