Daily Encouragement: Day 233

From Handbook to Wisdom, Day 233

THE SACRAMENT OF THE PRESENT MOMENT

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field,
which a man found and hid;
and from his joy, he went and sold all he had and bought that field.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like
a merchant looking for fine pearls;
and finding one pearl of great value,
he went away and sold all that he had and bought it.
(Matthew 13:44–46)

By Your grace, I want to hear the words,
“Well done, good and faithful servant;
you have been faithful with a few things;
I will put you in charge of many things.
Enter into the joy of your Lord.”
(Matthew 25:21)

Blaise Pascal prayed in his Pensées:

“With perfect consistency of mind, help me to receive all manner of events. For we know not what to ask, and we cannot ask for one event rather than another without presumption. We cannot desire a specific action without presuming to be a judge, and assuming responsibility for what in Your wisdom You may hide from me. O Lord, I know only one thing, and that is that it is good to follow You and wicked to offend You. Beyond this, I do not know what is good for me, whether health or sickness, riches or poverty, or anything else in this world. This knowledge surpasses both the wisdom of men and of angels. It lies hidden in the secrets of Your providence, which I adore, and will not dare to pry open.”

We are essentially spiritual beings, and each “today” that is received with gratitude from God’s hand contributes to our preparation for our glorious and eternal destiny in His presence. In “the sacrament of the present moment” as Jean-Pierre de Caussade described it, “it is only right that if we are discontented with what God offers us every moment, we should be punished by finding nothing else that will content us” (Abandonment to Divine Providence). It is when we learn to love God’s will that we can embrace the present moment as a source of spiritual formation.