Practicing the Presence of God

Fr. John C. Cusick
Director, Young Adult Ministry

The best understanding of prayer ever given to me is this: Prayer is practicing the presence of God.

There is a world renowned concert venue in New York City, Carnegie Hall. And it is the dream for nearly everyone in the music business to “play” Carnegie Hall.  A tourist stopped a pedestrian one day in New York and asked: “How do I get to Carnegie Hall?”  The New Yorker replied, “Practice, practice, practice.”  It was not the response the tourist wanted, but it was, in fact, the strategy of anyone wishing to “play” Carnegie Hall. Practice, practice, practice.

We all grew up knowing certain prayers: the Our Father, the Hail Mary. My very first prayer was the prayer my parents taught me. It was the prayer to my Guardian Angel.  Many times those prayers might be nothing more than a series or words. Other times those words lead us into a deeper reality, making us aware of our relationship to a Divine Presence and the relationship of a Divine presence of Love to us.

Practicing the presence of God means so much more than the multiplication of words – even sacred words. Practicing the presence of God takes time and a certain skill that only is developed in us over a period of time and repeated practice. And that all leads to a fuller awareness of who are and who God is in relationship to us and to the entire world.

Think about all the time in life we have dedicated to practicing various skills and gifts….hitting a baseball, playing the guitar, working out, training for a marathon, dancing, inserting an IV, public speaking, learning technology, drawing.

Now in contrast how much time have we dedicated to practicing the presence of God … being still, in awe of a sunset, the smile of a child, the tear of a parent, being thankful, finding love, sitting in sacred space, grateful for life, forgiving.

As we move to the mid-point of Lent this year, how about 5-10 minutes a day practicing the presence of God? Here is a tool that will assist you: www.sacredspace.ie.  Bring it up on your laptop or your phone before you leave the house for work. Call it up as the first thing you do when you get to work for those 5-10 minutes. Click on sacredspace.ie when you first get home or before you call it a day.  Don’t rush through it. Take your time. This is practice and practice makes perfect! Follow the prompts. Pause when you need to. This is not a race. Be reflective. Ponder. Think. Be Grateful.

How do you become more alive?  Practice. Practice. Practice.  www.sacredspace.ie

 

Fr. John Cusick

Father John Cusick, ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1970, is the Director of Young Adult Ministry for the Archdiocese. He is responsible for the Church’s outreach to women and men in their twenties and thirties, married and single. The Young Adult Ministry Office and his residence are at Old St. Patrick’s Church in downtown Chicago.