I am with you always

by Darcie Nielsen

When Covid hit in 2020, we didn't know that our sacramental life would change so quickly. As I'm sure everyone felt. We had grown accustomed to the availability of daily Mass, Confession, and the 24-hour Adoration chapel. We had built the rhythm of our family life around this.

Then, we were home. We deeply longed for our Eucharistic Lord. We felt like we were sailing our family's ship without a rudder. Prayer became difficult- even mental prayer. It made us realize how dependent we became on His physical presence in the Church.

So, in 2024 when we were introduced to the Divine House Guest of Souls, we were immediately drawn to the practice of cultivating this interior space with the Lord. Was it easy at first? No, it was like exercising a muscle that we didn't know we had. But we persevered and the fruits started to bud. Each Holy Communion became a profound preparation and encounter with the Risen Lord. He tells us, "I am with you always" (Mt. 28:20), and through this devotion we came to live that.

Then it happened again. Six years after Covid, we had to quarantine for an illness in our community.

But it was different this time because of the Divine House Guest of Souls. We encountered The Lord in our hearts every day. He wasn't far at all! We understood how in the days leading up to Covid, we had been running to the Church to receive, visit, and encounter Jesus, which is beautiful and wonderful, but we had been missing Him, right in our own hearts. It was a lightbulb moment of, "oh, this is how some saints were with Jesus even though they couldn't receive Him!" They learned to strengthen this muscle of awareness of His presence in our souls. Our faith teaches this. Through our Baptism, we have the indwelling of the Holy Trinity! Through confession, we can stay in a state of grace.

This time in quarantine was profoundly beautiful. We were with Him and He was with us. We didn't feel the 'pressure' of missing Him as we did during the Covid days. Once it passed, of course we were joyful to receive Him again in Communion! But it was a feeling of seeing a dear friend in person, instead of talking on the phone as we had been at home.

Jesus help us to remember:

You're right in my soul. You dwell there. Just as You are with us always, I want to be with You always.

Darcie Nielsen is a founder of Catholic Go! A pilgrimage guide, whose mission is to inspire an adventure of faith and build community on the journey. Explore historic and unique Catholic sites that are fun for the whole family! https://catholicgo.com