“One effect of the joyful guidance of the Father of Lights is that He guides the soul through impulses that come from within, which gently trickle into the soul and fall there like rain.” (St. Francis de Sales)
St. Francis de Sales, a gifted pastor and spiritual teacher, writes this to describe the ways in which our Father’s presence works within the soul and to help us distinguish them from other influences. Those who cultivate a relationship with our Heavenly Father become sensitive to His presence because an intimacy of love has developed. Even among us humans, we can discover how sensitive we become to others when we love them.
The Lord guides the soul that listens to Him with great gentleness because it learns to respond to His slightest promptings. As a rule, no loud voices are needed. Rather, as with the prophet Elijah, God reveals Himself in the gentleness of His presence (1 Kings 19:12).
So when we wait for the Lord’s inner guidance, we often recognize it as a gentle and clear light that He bestows upon us—a light that illuminates our soul, comforts us, and gives us guidance for the next step. On our part, it takes patience to be able to wait for the Lord and not rush ahead with our own expectations of how He will speak to us.
Let us reflect on the gentle presence of the Lord in the tabernacle. We need only take the time to linger before Him, and we will be able to receive His healing presence in the Sacrament. In this way, we learn to understand His gentle voice more clearly.