Practicing God’s Presence During Lent

A Lenten commitment reminds Leigh Ann Roman of the importance of practice.

During Lent, I wake as if from sleepwalking to see that I have unconsciously been pursuing the things of the world again. How many of my waking hours are taken up with trying to organize my life around my perceptions of security and comfort?

Meeting with my financial planner, texting the contractor about painting the ceiling, going to the sale at Talbot’s. These are all things I do, in addition to work, of course. And I recognize that there is nothing inherently wrong with any of these activities.

But how much more beautiful is one hour in the Adoration Chapel than a day spent in worldly pursuits? I am learning the answer to that question during this Lent, when I have committed to a weekly hour of Adoration at 6:00 AM.

Dawn creeps in during that hour, lighting the stained-glass windows that face onto the busy street. The 6:15 AM Mass begins in the sanctuary behind me, and traffic sounds begin to fill the Memphis morning. In the golden monstrance, Christ remains. How can I remain? How can I live as if Christ and His life, death, suffering, and Resurrection are more real to me than the evening news?

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Every year, Lent gives me an opportunity to intentionally practice the presence of our Lord in the world. During Lent this year, I have given up posting to or viewing my personal Twitter account, although part of my real-world job is managing social media. I have also taken on the hour of Adoration. And of course, there is the Friday commitment not to eat meat. These small sacrifices remove distractions and place Christ before me.

But if I truly want to practice the presence of our Lord in the world, there is more to do. To be like Brother Lawrence—a lay brother in a Carmelite monastery in the 1600s—and do all for God’s sake that I commonly do for my own. And most difficult: “one hearty renunciation of everything which we are sensible does not lead to God” as Brother Lawrence notes in his letters.

Practicing God’s presence could be as simple as bowing my head whenever the name of Jesus is mentioned. It could be the daily discipline of drawing my mind to God when my heart is lifted by the sweet sight of His masterworks in nature. The determination to see the face of Christ in my neighbors, and remaining silent when I am tempted to gossip or speak uncharitable words.

Living in the world but being not of this world is the great challenge for which Lent helps to strengthen us year-round. I hope to carry some of Lenten practices into my life after Easter—especially my hour in the Adoration chapel, where I can simply rest in the presence of Christ in preparation for practicing His presence in the world.

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