Present Moment Prayer

In honor of this past weekend being Divine Mercy Sunday, I thought it appropriate to crack open the Diary of St. Faustina. Two paragraphs in, thanks to the Holy Spirit, I discovered a prayer which fit exactly what I need right now: The Present Moment Prayer. This prayer has helped me to better embrace the craziness of the present moment, rather than run to the future, or fall back to the past.

I don’t know about you, but the phrase “Live in the moment,” has always produced more stress for me than inspiration. What if I fail to live in the moment? I don’t want to miss out! What if life goes by without me enjoying it? What if I don’t know how to truly “live in the moment?” I avoid Pinterest inspirational quote boards like the corona virus.

And yet, living in the present moment creates a unique challenge currently. With a time of so many unknowns, it can be easy to rush ahead days, weeks, or months, and wonder what our lives will look like. Will I be able to work that summer job? Will that wedding be postponed? Will I go back to work soon? Will I even return to school in the fall? Too frequently I get lost in time-travel thought.

Another temptation has been to look back on the past and look at what I would be doing right now if this world-wide pandemic had not occurred. Did I enjoy what I had when I had it? What would I be doing if this hadn’t happened? Would I be happier? Maybe I wasn’t living in the present moment before this happened? Maybe that was my last chance to experience that time in my life, and it’s gone now! We all know the spiral, and we know it spirals downward.

So with regrets about the past, and fears about the future, how do we live in the present moment?

The truth is, there is no secret formula for present moment living. I don’t know all the answers, and I definitely don’t always keep my feet rooted in the gift of today. But God has grace to help us stay focused on the here and now, and to help us live the best life we can live today. My train of thought has been itching to run behind and ahead of schedule, but with prayer, has gotten more on track. If you’re on the same train, here’s St. Faustina’s prayer. May it bless you and serve fruitful during our crazy present moment.

“When I look into the future, I am frightened,

But why plunge into the future?

Only the present moment is precious to me,

As the future may never enter my soul at all.

It is no longer in my power,

To change, correct or add to the past;

For neither sages nor prophets could do that.

And so, what the past has embraced I must entrust to God.

O present moment, you belong to me, whole and entire.

I desire to use you as best I can.

And although I am weak and small,

You grant me the grace of Your omnipotence.

And so, trusting in Your mercy,

I walk through life like a little child,

Offering You each day this heart

Burning with love for Your greater glory.”