“Then the LORD said: Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD; the LORD will pass by.” (1 King 19:11).  

The major theme for this 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time focuses on God’s holy, saving, and abiding presence to His people, and our need of trusting faith in God who is always with us. The presence of God is conceived ordinarily as a noun. However, to think of God as a verb is more consonant with His dynamic divine presence, ever communing, revealing, enduing, calling, and drawing us to be near Him.

God’s presence is in all His creation as He assures us of His constant companionship. God said: “I am with you” to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, the judges, Samuel, David, Elijah, Elisha, and to all other prophets. The presence of God is promised to those who live in faithfulness, and call upon the divine name in their struggles. God’s divine presence is in a humble and contrite heart that seeks God, willing to lend oneself to serve the unfortunate neighbors.

Given these requisites, the faithful are promised life eternal in the presence of God. Ultimately, the abiding divine and holy presence took a name “Emmanuel” in the person and mission of Jesus Christ, who in turn made the promise of His attendance with the legacy of the Church that survives Him and continues His work.

God does not want us holding a relationship of Transaction but Transformation. Therefore, Dynamic Christian disciples are those who (1) BELIEVE, (2) GROW, (3) SERVE, (4) LOVE and (5) LEAD others to Jesus. Today’s topic invites us to appreciate God’s holy, saving and abiding presence to us and our need of trusting faith in God, to follow Jesus Christ more closely, to repent our sins, to exercise our Christian stewardship, to use our time, treasure, and talents to love God above all and to love our neighbors as ourselves, participating in the works of mercy, to accomplish God’s will in our lives to glorify God.  

How can we appreciate God’s holy abiding presence in all creation and various situations in our lives?

Wishing everyone a blessed week in the Lord.