It is not a matter of “carrying God inside us.” That would be too mechanical. It’s better to say that we are filled with God’s presence within us—along with our weaknesses and imperfections. We experience this most acutely within the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We can feel grace working with us and around us. What this means is that the Lord is always touching our hearts. For example, we may not always remember the Scripture readings at Mass, but our intention to be there will still allow those words to have an effect on us.
The goodness of God’s Word has an effect on us, too. We receive Communion and, as it can happen, we discover that we were distracted during those sacred moments. We need not fear that nothing happened during that time. We do not make grace happen in us. We intend each moment to be with God, to live good lives, and to allow God to be active and dynamic within us. We may not feel its effect, but God touches us nonetheless.
—from St. Anthony Messenger‘s “Notes from a Friar: The Mysterious Workings of Grace“
by Jeremy Harrington, OFM
