I find myself returning again to the promise of Jesus at the end of Matthew’s gospel: “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

We heard these touching words again this past Sunday as we celebrated the Ascension.

Yesterday, at the Bible study I lead for our residents, after discussing the past Sunday’s readings, we made an acrostic poem of the words “W I T H M E A L W A Y S.” Together, we came up with words or phrases to correspond to each letter. This spelled out more specifically the reality of Christ’s presence in our daily lives, at our waking, sleeping, and facing of everyday challenges.

This morning, as we mark the feast of the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth, the readings remind us of this wonderful promise. The responsorial psalm concludes with the phrase: “great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel!” The refrain is actually a paraphrase of this.

I feel so blessed that this promise of our Lord of His presence among us continues in my life; it is not just relevant to the ancient Israelites.

He is with me every day…I need to remember that! I am also reminded here of the beautiful words of Psalm 139, reminding us of God’s presence whether we sit or stand.

He is with me when my alarm goes off and I force my feet to the floor. He is with me when I struggle to be patient with a challenging individual. He is with me when I clean house or cut up rhubarb.

He is with us, among us! After all, He’s the one who enables us to do all these things. We do all we do because He is in our midst.

On occasion, I can feel this presence in a special way, but I should not forget the reality of it at all the other times.

I need to say thank you for the great gift of His presence in ordinary life!