The Sacred Present
At an institution known for its pre-professional focus, it is nearly impossible to avoid thinking about the future. It is difficult not getting preoccupied with pondering what we will make of ourselves academically, professionally, spiritually, and socially. As I near the end of my third year as an undergraduate student, I have realized that I can no longer hide from making plans for the future. Since I began college, I have feared what life would be like after I graduated. Where would I live? What would I be doing with myself? What would happen to all my college friendships? Would I be happy? I have arrived at the time in when avoiding making decisions pertaining to these questions is increasingly detrimental. Yet, despite the recent decisions I have made and am continuing to make involving my future, I have arrived at an even more important revelation. I have come to value living in the present moment more than I have during any other time in my life.
My natural optimism enables me to easily find something meaningful (positive or negative, major or minor) within each point of time in my life. I realized that I cannot give myself all of the credit, and I owe a hefty amount of it to God. Sometimes, it is hard for me to remember that God is by my side while I am moving through life. However, when I consider that God is living these moments with me, I find myself appreciating them even more.
My roommate and close friend, Jen, lent me a daily prayer book to use throughout Lent which has helped me embrace this notion further. Nearly each brief daily prayer that I have read resonates with the concept of God’s abundance and the power of His plan. After each day of reading a new prayer, I felt compelled to reflect on these ideas. Although the specific content of the prayers may be different, they all seem to share the underlying message that God wants us to not to worry too greatly about our concerns for the future. Instead, we should trust Him and believe that His plan for us is more powerful than anything that we attempt ourselves.
Through these prayers and my own reflections, I have come to understand that the present moment is sacred. It is the only time that we can fully experience at the moment, with all of our senses and emotions, and have the capacity to embrace because we are experiencing it along with God. Although past memories cannot be changed, they can be appreciated and learned from. The path of the future lies in God’s hands, but we can pray that we accept it with love and ask for guidance in making decisions. Because a major weakness of mine is indecisiveness, I have prayed for guidance and courage in resolving difficult choices.
My reflections led me to think back to a time in the past during high school in which I felt like I was not living in the present. During the endless schoolwork, I was either cherishing moments of the past or counting down to something in the future. My life at that time became very monotonous as I felt lost in a perpetual routine. The unique moments in that routine were the ones I’d dwell on as I waited for another. I found myself spending so much time fantasizing about the future that I was losing sight of the present moment. That leads me to emphasize that despite the importance of fully embracing the present, it is still healthy for us to dream and become excited about the future. Sometimes, though, we take dreaming too far- so far that it turns into fixations, harsh expectations, anxiety, and worry. It is a challenge to find a balance between considering the future and living in the moment – something that prayer can help with.
If you feel like you are facing your future alone, remember that God is by your side now and will remain by your side.
Ask yourself, am I living my life to the fullest now while embracing God’s presence?
Be grateful for the past and enter the future with an attitude of cautious love. Be with what or who you love most. Be with yourself. Be with God.
Breanne Mastromarino is a third year nursing student hailing from Northern NJ. Recently, she was accepted into the Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program. Today she ran a half marathon at the Love Run. She is easily one the friendliest people you will ever encounter! She does not live in household, but her welcoming presence is an integral part of the Penn Newman Catholic community. She is our most frequent guest blogger here and always shares relatable college life insights! She manages a food instagram @bergenbites201