A Grasp of the Present
'See Him present living in your soul' - Elizabeth of the Trinity
How many times when we aim to sit in silence for a brief period, does our restless nature or some outside distraction get the better of us ?? Throughout the Advent and the Christmas period we may find ourselves searching for a little solitude to release us from pressures and worries at home or work, but finding that solitude ... and experiencing it in full ... can prove harder than we think!!
The time frames which family life and society at large dictate to us are time frames that can sometimes lock our true nature outside!! Those moments of stillness can be disturbed by a preoccupation with the future ... future events, future plans, future dates ... or a preoccupation with the past ... past misdemeanors, past regrets, past events. We are constantly looking to shed 'light' on the future and the past, yet overlooking the very peace and the 'light' of the present moment, its capacity to touch us and to heal us.
Look carefully at the painting below by William Holden Hunt. In those precious minutes of quiet and silence, let the lamp of Jesus Christ light up your innermost being. Grasp the present as an encounter, a blessing and something wondrous !
