Encountering God - In Time

Arise! Shine, for your light has come, the glory of the LORD has dawned upon you. Though darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds, the peoples, upon you the LORD will dawn, and over you his glory will be seen. … I, the LORD, will swiftly accomplish these things when the time comes. Isaiah 60:1-2, 60b

The biblical idea of “the fullness of time” has long captured my imagination. The prophet Isaiah paints an inspiring vision for God’s people of reunion—peace, happiness, healing, and justice, and through them salvation for others—but all “when the time comes.”

In The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011), Sonny, the young proprietor, reassures a guest, “Everything will be alright in the end, and if it’s not alright, then it’s not the end.” Sometimes I invoke the “fullness of time” with a sigh when the fulfillment of a hope isn’t coming swiftly enough for me. Apparently, God and I still need time for more to be accomplished in and through me—more to learn, more to love, more to let go, more of any or all of the above—before reaching the end when everything will be alright.

And yet, Isaiah proclaims, the glory of the Lord has already dawned. The Divine Word was with God at the beginning of creation. In the fullness of time with Mary’s “yes”, “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, the Holy Spirit remains with us now. In the fullness of time we come to know Emmanuel, God who has been with us all along.

Recently a moment of hindsight illuminated God dwelling with me. I had the gift of participating in “Ignite the Way”, a global colloquium of the Society of Jesus convened for advancing synodality and discernment in common within the Church. During the meeting I recalled adapting skills from my early career—designing and facilitating consumer research—for retreat ministry. In the fullness of time, formation through the Spiritual Exercises prepared me for the work of spiritual accompaniment, helping individuals and groups notice God’s presence among them in their discernment, planning, and decision making.

We come to know God-with-us in and over time. Whether I catch a glimpse of divine handiwork in history or in a longing to know how the story will end, encounters with the Holy One are always in a present moment. Consider this: how is God’s abiding presence being made known to you?

Take a deep breath, allowing a moment to come to mind. Perhaps God is sitting alongside you in prayer or on a hectic commute into the office. Or was with you during the brief solitude of an elevator ride to a doctor’s appointment, or as sudsy water warmed your hands when you swirled a dishrag around to clean your not-dishwasher-safe-but-best-ever coffee mug. Perhaps God was with you as you received news from a friend sharing a loss and composed a reply. In your imagination enter back into the moment. Savor the illumination of who God is to you in that moment of time.

Now consider, what does this awareness about who God is to you reveal about who you are to God in this moment? Are you God’s faithful companion? A valued co-worker in the vineyard? A cherished nervous child in need of someone to hold your hand? A friend God appreciates for your attentiveness to fragile things? A beloved open-hearted soul sharing care with God for another?

Melinda LeBlanc once commented, “If I had been around when the Beatitudes were being written, I would have asked for this one to be included: ‘Blessed are those who live in the present moment, for they shall see God in all things.’” May you be richly blessed in each present moment, experiencing the fullness of God’s infinite ways of loving you until the end of time.

Going Deeper

• Consider, when did this present moment start for you? In A Spiritual Exercise to Open Up the Present Moment, Fr. Bill Creed, S.J., offers five steps to help define and describe your current present moment.

• “Joy is the most infallible sign of the presence of God” (Teilhard de Chardin, S.J.) When you experience a moment of joy, however small, take a pause to breathe and savor God’s presence, noticing who God is to you and who you are to God.

Here is the present, a flower

golden and flaming.

Stop and pluck it, trembling.

Francis Jammes (translated from French)

Photo by Jenene Francis.

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Jenéne Francis

Jenéne Francis is an aspiring contemplative in action who enjoys offering spiritual direction and adapting the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius for days of reflection, retreats, and other Ignatian experiences for ministry leaders and boards of directors. She also finds writing creative non-fiction and short fiction a fruitful spiritual practice.

Based in Chicago, Illinois, Jenéne retired from the Midwest Province of the Society of Jesus in 2022 after many years supporting Jesuits and lay colleagues who serve retreat houses, spirituality programs, parishes, as hospital chaplains, and other pastoral ministers. In her first career, Jenéne worked as an R&D engineer at the Procter and Gamble Company (Cincinnati, OH). She holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Colorado and a Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry from Mount St. Mary’s Seminary and School of Theology. While Product Development and Pastoral Ministry might seem worlds apart, Jenéne gets great satisfaction offering her engineer’s head and poet’s heart for “the greater glory of God.”