St. Benedict Abbot recommended to his monks to live consciously in the presence of God. This is excellent advice, which enables man to awaken to full reality! Indeed, time and again the truth is described to us that God constantly watches over His own. God’s gaze rests upon everything and everyone.
How fortunate that it is the gaze of a loving Father, and not the eye of “Big Brother”, who wants to control the whole world! In the Message, the Father tells us:
“I desire man to remember often that I am right there, where he is, that he could not live if I were not with him, living just as he is. In spite of his unbelief, I always remain close to him”.
So, God addresses us in a deeply personal way. It is the gaze of love upon His creature, who is to live before Him in a redeemed state and in intimate communion with Him. This offer stands for every person. God never withdraws it, even if man, in his unbelief, does not perceive His loving presence. And even if man rejects God, He does not turn his back on him, but continues to invite him to turn to Him.
What a grace it is that we can remember that we are never alone, never without the loving Heart of God, never without the offer to return home to Him, never without true consolation!
But His presence also forms us and calls us back to the way when we stray. He educates us to do all things with our eyes fixed on the Father, acting in union with Him. He helps us to restrain our fallen nature, when we are in danger of succumbing to its disordered inclinations.