Quote of the day, 15 March: Silvio José Báez, ocd

It’s true that God seems to be hidden in the pain, but in reality, he’s present, always working mysteriously for our good, even now.

In the difficult moment that humanity is experiencing, we have to walk with serenity like the blind man in the Gospel of John (9:1-41); we have to face uncertainty without losing our inner peace…

The blind man’s perseverance, walking in the midst of conflict and incomprehensible hostility, teaches us that we recover our sight to the extent that we recognize that we don’t see everything clearly, that we don’t understand everything completely, but we trust in Jesus and resist with the light of faith and the strength of his love.

When we feel tired, anxious, and afraid that this long night won’t end, let’s recognize with serenity that we don’t see clearly—that darkness surrounds us. Jesus came “that those who do not see may see” (Jn 9:39). He wants to sharpen our interior gaze, to cure our blindness, and to give us his light so that we may see more deeply.

During this Lent, we must take time to be silent and pray, to listen to the Word of God, and to pray as a family. It’s time to prostrate ourselves before the Lord and adore him. God may seem to be absent, but right there where he doesn’t even seem to be, he is consoling us and giving us strength, marvelously weaving a plan of life for all of humanity.

God consoles us in our helplessness and pain and gives us the strength of his love so that through everyone’s solidarity and sacrifice we can save ourselves. God is with us— and through Jesus, the light of the world, he sustains us in our littleness and gives us the capacity to see in the darkness, beyond all blindness.

Silvio José Báez, o.c.d.

Auxiliary Bishop of Managua
Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Lent (excerpts), 22 March 2020

Translation from the Spanish text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.

Featured image: Christ Healing the Blind Man, Gioacchino Assereto (Italian, 1600–1649), c. 1640 oil on canvas. Image credit: Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh (Public domain).

The Fullness of Joy, Not Work!

In His presence is the fullness of joy, not work! #motivation #biblestudy #bishopshammahwomackel #faith #spiritualgrowth #presenceofgod #belikechrist #joy #lifeinchrist #wordofgod #purpose from Bishop Shammah Womack-El

https://bishopshammahwomackel.wordpress.com/2026/02/07/the-fullness-of-joy-not-work/

Quote of the day, 4 February: Blessed Marie-Eugène

The contemplative is an explorer of realms that begin at the outer limits of human understanding and extend into the infinity of God. Having reached God, how could such a soul not also one day discover Mary—the one through whom every divine gift passes? In these mysterious expanses, the contemplative advances by the light of living faith: “The Lord lives, in whose presence I stand” [1 Kgs 17:1].

It is the living presence of God that the contemplative seeks; why, then, should that same gaze not also seek the living presence of Mary?

The contemplative discovery of the Blessed Virgin closely resembles the contemplative discovery of God Himself. It is of the same nature and unfolds under the same conditions. Both rest upon a presence within the soul of the living realities they are called to encounter.

God is present within us because He continually sustains our existence by His action and because He communicates to us grace, a participation in His own life. To this active and sustaining presence is added a new mode of presence brought about by grace itself. By drawing us, as children, into the movement of Trinitarian life, grace enables us to enter into relationship with God and to know Him directly and immediately as an object of knowledge and love. It is for this reason that this new mode of divine presence, created by these relationships, is called an objective presence.

With regard to the Blessed Virgin, we may affirm that there is a certain mode of presence, which we deliberately refrain from defining. We leave this task to theologians, so as not to tie truths that transcend all schools of thought to any single theological opinion… Mary could not communicate supernatural riches to us unless she were in real contact with us.

Blessed Marie-Eugène of the Child Jesus

Heureuse Celle qui a Cru: Découvrir Marie (1943)

de l’Enfant-Jésus, M 2017, Heureuse Celle qui a Cru, edited by Institut Notre-Dame de Vie, Éditions du Carmel, Toulouse.

Translation from the French text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.

Featured image: Detail from Madonna and Child, an undated oil on wood painting attributed to Bernardino Luini. Image credit: Smithsonian American Art Museum (Public domain).

#BlessedMarieEugeneOfTheChildJesus #BlessedVirginMary #grace #presenceOfGod #relationship

If You Do Not Go With Us

The Bible in a Year

“And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.” Exodus 33:15

There are moments in Scripture where a single sentence carries the weight of an entire spiritual posture, and Moses’ words in Exodus 33:15 are one of those moments. Israel stands on the edge of movement, transition, and uncertainty. The journey ahead is real, demanding, and filled with unknowns. Yet Moses is not primarily concerned with direction, strategy, or provision. His concern is singular and uncompromising: the presence of God. If God does not go with them, Moses would rather remain where they are than advance without Him. That conviction challenges much of how modern believers, myself included, often evaluate progress. We are tempted to ask whether something is efficient, permissible, or advantageous, rather than whether it is accompanied by the manifest presence of God.

What makes Moses’ request especially striking is that God had already promised His presence. Yet Moses presses the matter, not out of doubt, but out of desire. He understands that God’s presence is not a minor accessory to the journey; it is the very substance of blessing itself. To move without God would be movement in name only. This passage reminds me that spiritual maturity is not measured by how much ground we cover, but by how closely we walk with the Lord. A.W. Tozer once wrote, “The presence of God is the central fact of Christianity.” Moses lived as if that were true, and his leadership flowed from that conviction.

The study rightly draws our attention to what is lost when God’s presence is excluded. Scripture never suggests that God can be compartmentalized—welcomed in worship but dismissed in daily choices. When Moses insisted on God’s presence, he was guarding Israel from the illusion of independence. Peace is the first casualty when God is left behind. Israel’s camp was marked by turmoil and anxiety, yet God’s nearness had the power to restore tranquility. We see this echoed in the Gospels when Jesus calms the storm. His words, “Peace, be still,” were effective not merely because of authority, but because peace flows naturally from His presence. That same peace still guards hearts today when Christ is welcomed into the storms of life.

Purity is another blessing inseparable from God’s presence. Israel’s sin with the golden calf had fractured their spiritual integrity, and Moses knew that only God’s nearness could realign their hearts. God’s presence does not accommodate sin; it exposes and heals it. This explains why societies and individuals alike often resist God’s presence—it confronts what we would rather excuse. John Calvin observed that “the human heart is an idol factory,” constantly generating substitutes for God. Where God is absent, impurity multiplies; where He is welcomed, transformation begins. The desire for holiness is not rooted in fear of judgment but in love for the God who dwells among His people.

Protection and perception complete the picture Moses understood so well. Israel’s wilderness journey required more than strength; it required divine safeguarding and guidance. Without God’s presence, they were vulnerable—to enemies, to confusion, and to despair. The same remains true today. Much spiritual disorientation stems not from lack of information, but from absence of communion. When God’s presence is neglected, discernment falters. When His presence is sought, even difficult paths become navigable. The psalmist captured this when he wrote, “In thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Psalm 16:11). Joy, clarity, and direction are not found in circumstances, but in nearness to God.

Walking through the Bible in a year invites us to notice how consistently God’s presence defines blessing. From Eden to Sinai, from the tabernacle to Emmanuel—“God with us”—Scripture testifies that life flourishes where God dwells. Moses’ prayer becomes a fitting prayer for every believer today: not simply that God would bless our plans, but that He would accompany us in them. The question is no longer whether we are moving forward, but whether we are moving with Him.

For further study on the presence of God throughout Scripture, see this article from The Gospel Coalition: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/gods-presence-bible/

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