Chapter 7 - Part 2 - Of the various ways in which we may consider God as present

 From the Dux Spiritualis by Louis de Ponte SJ

Section 3 - How we may regard God as dwelling with in us

Page 112 - The 3rd Manner of looking upon God is within myself: since He is really and truly within me by Essence, Presence and Power, much more intimately than my Soul is in my body; if I am in a state of Grace, He is in my Soul as a King upon his throne, a spouse in her bridechamber, and as God in His holy temple, according to the saying of the Apostle: 

        "Know thee not, that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells within you?"

[1 Corinthians iii, 16]. 

Page 115 - St Augustine's Prayer [Solil., c, 31] 

Too late have I loved Thee, O Beauty ever old and ever new, too late have I loved Thee for Thou wert within and I was without; for I sought Thee in the beauty of the creatures Thou hast made; but I only deformed myself.

Thou wert with me, but I was not with Thee: they held me far from Thee, because they had all their being from Thee, and I knew it not. 

Enlighten, Lord, the eyes of my Soul, that I may see Thee within myself, and may love and possess myself and Thee, who art ever with me, and may be most intimately united with Thee. Amen 

Chapter 7 - Part 1 - Of the various ways in which we may consider God as present

 From the Dux Spiritualis by Louis de Ponte SJ

Section 1, page 106 - How we may behold God in Heaven

The first way of considering the presence of God is to raise the heart and the eyes of the Soul to Heaven, where is the throne of His Glory. 

Page 107 - Therefore, as St Bernard [Sermo de 4 modis orandi] admonishes us, Christ Our Lord placed at the beginning of that prayer that he taught the disciples this word: Our Father, who art in heaven [St Matthew vi, 9]; teaching us to raise our minds from earth and earthly things to heaven, where our Celestial Father dwells, communicating to us in great abundance the heavenly gifts for which we ask.

Page 108 - Our holy Father Ignatius [ In ejus vitae, lib 5, c 1], of whom it was related that he was wont to go up to the highest place in the house, where he could raise his eyes to heaven; often he was granted such fervour in prayer and such wonderful light on heavenly things that when he descended he would say: 'How vile is earth to me, when I have looked into Heaven!' 

Section 2 - How we may consider God as around us, or ourselves as God

Page 112 - Immense fire, spread throughout the world; since I live in the midst of Thee, 

consume in me whatever hinders me from seeing Thee; 

penetrate me through and through, that I may love Thee with all my strength; 

transform me into Thyself, that I may be one with Thee:

and since nowhere can I flee from Thy presence, suffer me not to be cut off from Thy Grace. Amen. 

Chapter 6 - Part 3 - The various ways God is present to us

 From the Dux spiritualis by Louis de Ponte SJ 

Section 3 - Page 101 

Then will the most Holy Trinity be present to us when, with chaste and pure prayers, and with tranquil mind and affection, we implore these three Blessed Persons to grant us union with Them. - St Denis

By these words he indicates three classes of acts by means of which we may ever remain in the presence of God and have him present in us as lively a manner as we are to him. 

The first class is frequently to invoke and speak with God by chaste and pure petitions, without any admixture of distractions or any oblique intentions. 

Such prayer may very well be made by means of ejaculations, which are short and fervent aspirations darted up from the heart to God, whom we feel near to us, as often as we please. 

Page 102 

In the second place, in order to have God always present to our mind, our interior faculties must be kept clam and tranquil, and we must believe with lively faith that he is in all creatures, fortifying this belief by the help of natural reason. 

Page 103

What love has effected in God, it will also effect in a justified Soul which loves God in real earnest, and desires [page 104] ever to dwell in his presence; for it will enjoy a vital union with God by actual knowledge and love. 

Page 104 

Then will it be able to say with the spouse: I have found him whom my Soul loveth: I hold him and I will not let go. [Canticles iii, 4]

Prayer: 

Immense God, I will love Thee with my whole heart, desiring to have Thee as my inseparable companion; wound me, Lord, with the dart of Thy charity, and grant me the realisation of Thy presence; for where there is great love, forgetfulness is impossible. 

Chapter 6 - Part 2 - the various ways in which God is present to us

From the Dux Spiritualis by Louis de Ponte SJ - English translation of 1932  

Section 1 - page 98 - 

Word of God divine, Word of God eternal, living and effectual, present to all things and acting everywhere, say to my heart this word: Dominus tecum. Enlighten the eyes of my Soul that I may see and realise how Thou art with me, and may obtain all Thou dost offer by Thy grace, until at last I come to enjoy Thy glorious vision face to face in Heaven. Amen

Section 2 - page 99 - 

My God, most present, yet most absent, most present indeed to all Thy creatures by Thy very essence, yet most absent from men of earth by reason of their forgetfulness of Thee!

How well does that name of forgetful befit me, since I forget God who is in me and the benefits He continually confers on me, the precepts He imposes, the rewards He promises, the punishments He threatens, and, finally, the judgement He has instituted, when He will repay everyone according to their desserts.

Father of mercies, take away from me this pernicious oblivion, make me ever mindful of Thee as Thou art of me. 

page 100 

As there is no moment when man is not enjoying and benefiting by the goodness of God: so ought there to be no moment when he has Him not present to his memory - St Augustin in his Manual 

Chapter 6 Part 1 - The various ways that God is Present to us

 

NB: These extracts are taken from Louis de Ponte's Dux Spiritualis in the English translation published in 1932 

Chapter 6 - a Summary of the various ways that God is present to us

1st:  The first mode is common to all creatures in whom, as theologians say, God is by ESSENCE, PRESENCE and POWER [cf: s. Thomas, S. Th., I, Q. viii, art 2].

This first mode by which God is in all creatures is proper and natural to His Divinity on account of His immensity, wisdom, and omnipotence, for as long as creatures hold their being from Him. He must of necessity be in them, nor can he abandon them for a single moment or they would immediately cease to be. 

2nd The second mode by which God is present is common to all the just and to them alone; for he is in them by grace, charity, and the other infused virtues, which work together for their sanctification. 

This manner of presence is not granted to those who do not love; although, as soon as love enters their hearts, they begin to dwell in Him; not by any change in God, but the man receives new effects of grace which God operates in him. 

But when a just man falls into mortal sin, God withdraws from his soul, because he ceases to produce those effects of grace and charity which He formerly worked in him. 

3rd The third manner in which God dwells in men is when he bestows on them unusual graces and favours: when he illuminates the mind with a new light to understand some truth, or grants an increase of devotion or spiritual joy. 

Or again, when he assists him in his undertakings by a particular providence, directing and guiding him by His inspirations. In this sense, we are accustomed to see that God visits souls and dwells in them; that sometimes he retires, then returns; now he is present, now absent. 

4th Fourthly, there is another manner in which God is present to men, and that is by His most sacred Incarnation, on account of which He is called Emmanuel, which is interpreted God is with us [St Matthew i, 23], because he has conjoined our nature with His own and conversed with men [Baruch iii, 38] . 

5th Lastly, He will remain with us and dwell in us till the end of the world in the Most Holy Sacrament of the altar, coming from Heaven to visit us, and making Himself, Jesus Christ, true God and true man under the sacramental species ... that we may enjoy his corporeal presence, hidden under these veils, and we may speak with him, discerning His presence very near to us indeed. 

Chapter 5 - Various methods of Prayer and treating with God

From the Dux Spiritualis by the Ven. Louis de Ponte SJ

Chapter 5 - Various methods of Prayer and treating with God

Section 1 - How the memory of the Presence of God helps us to avoid sin and to conquer temptations.

Eternal God, take away, I beseech Thee, the dense veil my sins have placed between me and Thee, hiding Thy Face. For I know that if I look upon Thee as I ought, all I accuse myself of, Thou wilt wipe out; neither shall I ever return to my former sins or offend Thy most pure eyes, which see and detest them. 

Section 2 - That this same realisation of the presence of God is a great help to attaining true and solid Virtue

Eternal King, conduct me, like Jacob, through right ways [Wisdom X, 10], show me that kingdom which is within us [cf St Luke xvii, 21], and Thyself, the King of Glory. Show me how Thou dost protect those who keep their eyes fixed on Thee; and obtain for me that justice, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost [Romans xiv, 17] in which it consists. May I realise more and more, and make progress in virtue until I obtain its eternal reward. Amen. 

Section 3 - How much the memory of God's presence helps us in the works of the Unitive way.

Blessed is the man to whom God is ever present!

Happy the Soul which is never oblivious of His sweet presence!

Realise, O my soul, that God is ever regarding thee in all thy ways, public and private, to direct and perfect thy goings in thy path, that thy footsteps be not moved [cf Ps. xvi, 5]. Set, then, the Lord always in thy sight [cf Ps. xv, 8], that thy heart may rejoice, thy tongue exult, and thy flesh rest in the hope that thou wilt one day be made a partaker of His glory and enjoy His presence, not as now, in the obscurity of faith, but in the clear vision of God Himself for all eternity. 

Chapter 5 - Various methods of Prayer

Just a reminder that this text is taken from Of familar Intercourse with God in Prayer by Louis de Ponte - London Burns Oates & Washbourne 1932.

Page 84  Section 1 - How the memory of the Presence of God helps us to avoid sin and to conquer temptation

Eternal God, take away, I beseech thee, the dense veil my sins have placed between me and thee, hiding thy face. For I know that if I look upon thee as I ought, all that I accuse myself of, thou wilt wipe out; neither shall I ever again return to my former sins or offend thy most pure eyes, which see and detest them.

Page 88 Section 2 - That this great realisation of the presence of God is a great help to attaining true and solid virtue

Eternal King, conduct me, like Jacob, through right ways [Wisdom x,10], show me the Kingdom which is within us [Cf. St Luke xvii,21], and Thyself, the King of Glory. Show me how thou dost protect those who keep their eyes fixed on thee; give me eyes with which to look into thy kingdom and obtain for me that justice, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost [Romans xiv, 17] in which it consists. May I realise thy presence more and more, and make progress in virtue until I obtain its eternal reward. Amen.