Many of us are familiar with being distracted by looking at the past, especially when remembering painful events. We try endlessly to understand why certain things happened, often looking for the causes of those things that we do not understand. Other times our imagination will move to the future, dreaming of things that we are not set in stone. In this way the past and the future have trapped us and left us prisoners by their spells.

In truth the only time we can be fully happy is in the present moment, where the Lord finds us. He lives eternally in the present, and is there waiting for us to meet him. The Lord finds us in the here and now, in every circumstance that we live in our daily lives, in every encounter with our neighbor. The Lord is present for us and alive in the reality of each day and that is where we will find him.

Living with attention to present moment is a demanding practice, because it challenges us to engage with our thoughts, our feelings and our whole being in what we are actively doing. It is to live dedicated to the present reality, knowing that the Lord finds us there, and wants to speak to us.

Ponder over all of these things in your heart. Ask yourself, what am I thinking right now? Am I living distracted with the thought of past events, preventing me to move forward? Do I dream about my ideas, preventing me from dedicating all of my attention in the present moment?

Each morning ask the Lord to help you dedicate yourself fully in what you are living. Ask him to be with your mind, body and heart in everything you do. May the Lord help you to live fully in the present, here and now, just as you are.

• Fernando Ianchina
  Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network (Spain)