The Presence of God and Union with God

How can one discover or recover the sense of God’s presence, of living union with God? The Bible speaks to us from beginning to end of God’s presence as Creator and Savior: a presence received, a presence loved, a presence for whose fullness we intensely hope. The liturgy of the Church celebrates God present in Christ and in his Spirit who unite us to the Father. Christian existence is lived in faith by the light of this loving presence of the God who has created us, who has saved us, and who calls us to return to him. This book seeks to ponder God’s presence in its length, depth, and breadth: the presence of God in all his creatures, his presence of indwelling through grace, his presence radiating in the Son’s Incarnation, his presence in the gift of the Holy Spirit, and finally his presence in the blessed vision whereby we shall be united immediately to him. The reader is invited to take a "theological journey" in the school of Saint Thomas Aquinas, a journey in five chapters, which constitute as many stages. The first chapter offers a reflection on the relation that all creatures, including human persons, have with the creating God. The second chapter considers God’s presence in grace: the three divine persons come to abide in the just whom they make their temple. The third chapter is consecrated to Christ Jesus: "In him the whole plenitude of the divinity dwells bodily" (Col 2:9). The fourth chapter turns to the Holy Spirit, considering his presence and the gift of grace. And finally, the fifth and closing chapter deals with the consummation of Christian hope: the union with God in the blessed vision.