)
December 19, 2011
We
concluded the previous reflection by enumerating three aspects
of personal presence. These three fundamental aspects of human
presence are articulated as follows by Adrian van Kaam:
1) We are a potency for presence to the
Mystery of God, which means that we can abide in recollection of
the presence of the Mystery to us. Although
we are not directly present to God, we are a capacity to open
ourselves up to and to become aware of the dimension of sacred
reality. Through prayerful attention and God’s grace some
people develop an abiding sense of the transcendent dimension of
reality, and of God’s personal love and care for them.
2) Self-presence does not foreclose
simultaneous presence to and of the Mystery. I can be aware of
myself, my external situation, as well as the interior movements
of my soul (psychological and spiritual dynamics), even as I
remain open to the presence of the Mystery – which is, simply,
receptivity to a horizon of being that transcends my limited
cognition. I may not know what that “more than” is, but I can
still be open to it. This act of openness is an appropriation
of the Mystery, an acknowledgment of what is unknown and beyond
us.
3)
In addition to self-presence and presence to the Mystery, we can
be present to others. As van Kaam puts it: Our presence to
others can reflect the presence of the Mystery to us.
Differentiating
these three components of human presence enables us to focus our
attention on each of them separately. Ideally, we are attentive
to our spiritual growth in each of these dimensions of our
formative presence. Ultimately, however, the three are
intimately related and together foster the inner and outer
flourishing of presence we deeply long for. The unity of the
three aspects of presence is attested to by Adrian van Kaam as
follows:
Religion and life are not separated. My daily
task and its religious meaning, my worldly and religious
commitments sustain one another. I can encounter God in the
realities of daily life and face all events in God. (On
Being Involved, p. 19)
The apogee of our human potential for
spiritual presence is evidenced in our ability to be present in
all three modes simultaneously and harmoniously.
Full and open
presence to reality does not come easily. Habituated modes of
being as well as mental and emotional impediments interfere with
our attempts to be simply present. We are given to all sorts of
subterfuges – “escapes” from the manifestation of reality at
hand: fantasizing, idealizing, phobic reactions, depression,
mania, boredom, loss of self in others, affective isolation,
depression, hatred and anger. The list is endless. We are
called to uncover the dynamics of our personal formation that
sabotage our desire to be simply present. We need to assess our
innate disposition to be present to the Mystery, to ourselves,
and to others; and then to be willing to engage in an ongoing
process of prayerful dialogue and reformation of presence. What
is at stake is the integrity of our personality.
(When) I am no longer simply and wholly with
and in the situation, I become split, tense, and broken up.
This is true not only of decisive events, which may fill only a
small part of my life, but even more of the innumerable simple,
seemingly insignificant actions and meetings that make up most
of my days. The secret of growth, the source of peace, the
hidden source of spiritual living entails being dedicated to the
humble events which bind my days together. (Ibid., p. 14)
