Article Tools
- Text Size
- Add a comment (
- Print this article
- Email this article
Moses was frightened and daunted by the task God set out for him: to return to Egypt as an old man, to confront the authorities, and to lead the Hebrew people to a promised land. He questioned God about this choice, desperately trying to find a way to elude the mission.
Right away God gave him the answer that is meant to calm all anxieties: “I will be with you” (Exodus 3:12). This answer is wonderful, but it is mysteriously very hard to hear, and if we hear it one day, it escapes us the next. But it is the answer to all our fears. And living by this truth is the mark of a person of faith. In the words of Cardinal John Henry Newman: “A true Christian may almost be defined as one who has a ruling sense of God’s presence within him” (Parochial and Plain Sermons, 5:16)
The divine presence overshadows life in a Benedictine monastery. “We believe that the divine presence is everywhere and that in every place the eyes of the Lord are watching the good and the wicked” (Rule of Benedict, 19:1). Benedict goes…
The full article is available to subscribers only
Access all articles, daily meditations and readings, as well as special resources, by becoming a subscriber. View subscription options.
Special Offer: 2 week free web-only trial subscription. Sign up now.
Existing Print & Web-Only Subscribers: Login for full access.