The presence of Good.

Children… How they strive to be good in the presence of their parents! And royal children, how they seek to preserve their royal dignity before their father the King! And you… don’t you realize that you always stand before the Great King, your Father God?  Do not decide without pausing to consider the matter in God’s presence.  It is necessary to convince ourselves that God is always with us. We live as if the Lord were somewhere far away from us, where the stars shine, and we forget He is always by our side. He is there as a loving Father – loving each one of us more than all the mothers in the world can love their children – helping us, counselling us, blessing us… and forgiving us. How many times, after we have brought up a naughty thing, have we managed to smooth out our parents’ frowning expression when we told them we wouldn’t do it again! And maybe that very day we fell again… And our father, with feigned sternness in his voice and a serious face, chastised us… but his heart was already soft, for he knew our weakness and thought to himself: Poor fellow, how he tries to be good! We must be filled and permeated with the thought that God is our Father, our true Father, who is with us and in heaven.Get into the habit of lifting up your heart to God in acts of thanksgiving many times a day. For he gives you this and that. Because thou art despised. Because you do not have what you need, or because you have it. Because He has made His Mother, who is also your Mother, so beautiful. Because He made the sun and the moon and that animal and that plant. Because He gave this man eloquence, and you are so ponderous. Thank him for everything, because everything is good.  Be not so blind and unmindful that thou wilt not enter into every Tabernacle when thou beholdest the walls or tower of the house of God. He awaits thee. Do not be so blind and oblivious that you do not invoke the Immaculate Virgin Mary when you pass by places that you know offend Christ there.  Do you not rejoice when, on your usual way through the streets of the city, you discover another Tabernacle? A man of prayer said: “Jesus is to be the goal of our endeavors, the Love of our hearts, the topic of our conversations, the pattern of our actions.” Use those holy “human aids” that I have recommended to you so that you do not lose consciousness of God’s presence: centering prayers, acts of charity and satisfaction, spiritual communion, gazing at images of the Blessed Virgin…  Alone! You are not alone. From afar, we accompany you always. And besides, the Holy Spirit who dwells in your pardoned soul – God with you – gives a supernatural tone to all your thoughts, desires, and actions.  “Father,” said the young man (what is the matter with him now?), a good student, “I have been thinking about what you told me… that I am a son of God! And I found myself walking down the street with my head held high and pride in my heart… Son of God!” With a clear conscience, I advised him to keep that pride.  I do not doubt your good intentions. I know that you act in the presence of God. Nevertheless, there is a bit: your actions are, or can be, observed by people who will judge them by human standards… And it is necessary to set them a good example.  If you get into the habit of seeking Mary’s company at least once a week to go to Jesus with her, you will see how much more you will live in God’s presence.  You ask me, “Why the wooden cross?” And I quote from a letter, “When I look up from the microscope, my eyes fall on the black and empty cross. This cross without the Crucified is a symbol. It has a meaning that others do not see. And the one who is tired and just wanted to put down his work, fixes his eyes on the microscope again and goes on, because that lonely cross cries out for arms to carry it.”  Live in the presence of God and you will have supernatural life.