A simple strategy

As our God is predominantly a quiet God, it may be challenging to listen to Him, particularly in our cacophonous environment. However, we can endeavor to perceive as He perceives. Our society has largely lost sight of what paradise resembles. Yet, God retains that memory. Our biases, the media, previous life experiences, and countless other factors have shaped our understanding of the world in a significantly imperfect manner. We need to develop the ability to observe with God’s perspective. This is the wonderful blessing of contemplation.

It has been expressed that we individuals view the chaotic and intertwined backside of the tapestry, while God perceives the beautiful image on the front. A wonderful New Year’s resolution could be to consistently ask ourselves, “How does God perceive this moment?” We might start to understand that, “God does not judge as humans do, who focus on the surface. The Lord examines the heart” (1 Sm 16:7).

Viewing through God’s perspective links us with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Engaging with Scripture is particularly beneficial. In the Old Testament, we observe how God the Father perceived the world. Through the Gospels, we gain insight into how Jesus viewed our reality. Additionally, with the gifts of awe, wisdom, piety, and understanding from the Holy Spirit, we are genuinely motivated to perceive in fresh manners.

It requires humility to inquire of God what He perceives in any circumstance instead of trusting our own perceptions. Subsequently, it requires empathy and compassion to understand what others experience. Ultimately, it demands mercy and love to respond to what we observe. This is why viewing things as God sees them can be referred to as the path of the saints.

The path of the holy ones

Our brains continually absorb, assess, and interpret information from our surroundings. However, we approach this process through our flawed and human viewpoints. Our perception is clouded by original sin. It is only when we pause and attempt — even briefly — to perceive as God perceives that our outlook can transform. This capacity to view existence through God’s perspective was the key to holiness for numerous esteemed saints.

St. Francis of Assisi perceived as God perceives when he removed his luxurious garments and cast them into the street, viewing this act as an affront to the impoverished who had only tatters to wear. He perceived as God perceives when he collected common worms and relocated them off the path to prevent anyone from stepping on them. It was by looking through God’s perspective that he found the ability to embrace and tend to the lepers who had previously disgusted him. Through God’s perspective, he recognized them as individuals in pain who were profoundly cherished by God. They were no longer seen as grotesque. They were lovely to Francis because he understood they were lovely in God’s sight.

St. Catherine of Sienna experienced the loss of numerous family members amid three different plagues that devastated Europe. Because of the outbreaks, a large number of individuals felt that God had turned away from his people. However, Catherine insisted that by observing the splendor of nature, they could discern how deeply God cared for them. She implored God to grant her his perspective, penning: “O Father, have mercy on us for we are sightless and in shadow. Cast away the darkness and bestow upon me light.”

Mother Teresa frequently expressed to her spiritual guide that she struggled to sense God’s presence during her silent prayers. However, when she was serving the impoverished, she experienced closeness to Jesus, as she recognized Him in the most vulnerable and forsaken. She viewed the poor through God’s perspective, and they did not appear unclean or repulsive. They were beautiful to her.

St. Ignatius of Loyola instructed his Jesuit disciples to be active contemplatives. He urged them to remain mindful of how God perceives the world, as it is in the world that we encounter God. He remarked, “He who holds God in his heart carries heaven with him wherever he travels.”

St. Thérèse of Lisieux perceived the world as God did when she welcomed the charm of the tiniest wildflower in the forest and acknowledged the happiness that could arise from even the smallest gesture of kindness towards others.

St. Augustine was perceiving with God’s vision when he expressed in “The Confessions” that every individual is a star fashioned by the same Spirit to illuminate in unique ways for the advantage of everyone. Therefore, we must not evaluate the goodness brought into existence by God using our own criteria.

These and numerous other saints regarded contemplation as a hidden method of prayer, even amidst our busyness. We do not require texts, rosaries, or melodies. We only need to engage God within our thoughts, inviting Him to accompany us in all our activities. A brief moment to stop and inquire how God perceives a circumstance can have a profound and lasting impact on our spirits.

Advantages of reflection

This method of reflection not only introduces greater peace and optimism into our existence, but it can also aid in alleviating our stress. Consider this. A significant portion of life’s stress arises from negative thoughts and energy. Yet God does not perceive anything negatively. He consistently views the positive. He is a source of tranquility in a chaotic world.

Reflection can also increase our sense of gratitude. As we become aware of the pain and suffering present in the world, we start to understand more completely how truly fortunate and blessed our own lives are.

Having the courage to perceive as God perceives can guide us to an amazing new connection with this God who desired so deeply to be recognized by us that he descended from heaven and walked with us. In his work “The New Man,” Thomas Merton stated, “Contemplation is that wisdom which makes man the friend of God.” It is a significant gift to have a companion who continuously motivates us to notice something marvelous or observe something we overlooked. This is the type of companion God can become for us, if we simply ask.

When we carry God’s perspective with us wherever we travel, our awareness expands significantly. We acquire fresh understandings. We may perceive things as more beautiful. We may regard people as more agreeable. However, we may also recognize issues to be more severe than we had once believed. It is only by acknowledging the negative that we can start to eliminate it from our existence and our surroundings. If we continue to ignore or deny the elements that grieve God, we permit them to flourish like weeds in an neglected garden. Reflection will prompt us towards the necessary actions to rectify injustices and enhance our world. This will provide our lives with a deeper sense of direction and goodness.

As we recognize the goodness that God perceives, we will also begin to place greater trust in Him. We cultivate a relationship with Him that involves more than just us constantly speaking and informing God of our desires. We allow God to express Himself in our lives. We discover how to engage with Him beyond specific prayer sessions. Rather, we welcome Him to participate in every instant of our days. We ultimately start to adhere to St. Paul’s directive to “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thes 5:17).

Making it real

To assist us in remembering to view everything through God’s perspective, we may wish to think about various reminders. We can put a lovely image in our eyeglass case to encourage us to perceive all things as good and beautiful. We can program alarms on our phone to prompt us to take a moment and look through God’s eyes. We can conceal sticky notes in books, pockets, or drawers that urge us to see as God does. We can pray each day to the Holy Spirit for the gifts of wonder and wisdom necessary for us to see in a different light.

Gaining the perspective of God can be essential to the future of our planet. Pope Francis reminds us, “We must continually reflect on the mystery of mercy. It is a source of joy, tranquility, and peace” (Misericordiae Vultus, No. 2). In today’s world, there is a significant demand for that type of compassion for both those in poverty and our planet. As we begin to perceive as God perceives, we find that our God is, fundamentally, a God of compassion. He notices the injured on the path that we tend to overlook.

St. Teresa of Avila cautioned contemplatives, “Rely more on God’s mercy and less on your own discernment.” In essence, our contemplation should never lead us to assess others. Viewing with God’s perspective instead of our own implies perceiving with love instead of criticism, with thankfulness rather than avarice, with optimism rather than hopelessness, with tranquility rather than conflict. It signifies recognizing the possibility for goodness even in what may currently appear unattractive or dreadful.

Ultimately, it must be acknowledged that reflection is a blessing from God. We cannot compel God to reveal His perspective. At times, our thoughts may lead us astray. Nevertheless, the more we endeavor to perceive as God perceives, the more we will start to sense God accompanying us. Just as the disciples experienced on the journey to Emmaus, we will find ourselves filled with fresh hope and tranquility!

Susan M. Erschen writes from Missouri.

Ideas for contemplating

As we move through this new year, it would be good if we could keep our eyes open to how God might be calling us to look differently at some of these areas of our lives. Creation Creation was God’s first gift to us. Does he smile at the way we delight in it, or does he cry at the way we ignore and destroy it? Our homes Our homes should be simple places of haven for us and our families. What ideas might God offer us for making our homes more peaceful? Our food Jesus fed thousands with just a few loaves because he saw food as important to our souls. Do we honor and respect God with the food choices we make and the ways that we pause to enjoy his great gift of good food? Our relationships God loves to see people happy. Jesus performed his first miracle to keep a joyous wedding celebration from failing. Does God see joy and respect in our relationships with others? The poor We know the poor hold a very special place in God’s heart. He chose to be born poor when he could have been born rich. Do we show the poor the love, compassion and generosity we would show the infant Jesus? Ourselves Does God see a strength and beauty in us that we may fail to see? Does he see gifts he has given that we have not yet unwrapped? Does he see kindness and goodness that we have buried under stress and anxiety? Our churches Every church was made for contemplation. The altar, windows, statues and paintings all give us a glimpse into what God sees as good. Do we take time to pause and enjoy the beauty of this story? Now we can even take advantage of livestreaming to look into other churches and see — as God sees — the wonder of Masses celebrated in great and humble places all around the world. Our work Does God smile down upon the work we are doing? Is he happy to see that we find joy in a job well done? Or is he hoping we will soon open our eyes to a new future that he sees for us? Our prayer Although we can learn to know God in the midst of our busy days, silence is still critical for our souls. How does God see our prayer time? Would he like more quiet time with us? Is he inviting us, as Jesus invited the disciples, “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while” (Mk 6:31). Society How does God view our society today? Does he do as Jesus did when “he saw the city and wept over it, saying, ‘If this day you only knew what makes for peace — but now it is hidden from your eyes’” (Lk 19:41-42)? Is it time for us to concentrate less on editorials and social media posts and just look with God’s eyes? Can we see the inequities? Can we see the suffering? Can we see the hatred and the fear? Can we see what would make for peace? Technology Is technology helping us connect more with God or more with lots of useless information? Have we found an app for knowing God, or do we need to put down the phone and search for him somewhere else? The marketplace Does God look with approval at all we have acquired, or is he more concerned about the growing greed, waste and disregard for those in need? Is he hoping we will soon turn a blind eye to the endless materialism and consumerism?