God is Always Present

During the COVID-19 lockdown, I remember visiting an elderly woman who lived alone, and she was linked to the Mass on her granddaughter’s laptop. She had two candles lit on each side of the screen and a few flowers in a vase to honour the Lord’s presence in my home and heart,’ as she said to me. I was profoundly moved by her tangible faith.

This incident reminded me that the Lord’s presence is at the heart of all our words, worship and witness. His presence is behind the veil of our anxieties, struggles and suspicions. The Lord is simply and profoundly there, for us and with us, as he promised to be, until the end of time. Nothing of value happens in the Church that does not start from seeing the Lord in our midst, suffering and transforming all our human dilemmas.

The Lord says to us,

‘If you don’t know why this matters,

Look for someone who does,

the child, the poor, the forgotten.

Learn from them.

You will learn from me.

You will find a life’s mission.

You will find rest for your soul.

Sit and eat.’

John Cullen, The Sacred Heart Messenger, September 2023