Order of the Present Moment

Preface

Several years ago, shortly after I had converted to Catholicism, I attended Mass at a nearby convent. There, inspired by the vocations of the elderly sisters living at the Motherhouse and somewhat left out, I spontaneously prayed during Mass, asking God, “What religious order am I to be in?” The response was sudden, unexpected. “You are in the Order of the Present Moment!” 

Perhaps an indication of my surprise, I then asked, “What is the habit I will wear?” God answered immediately, again. “Your habit is what you are wearing in this moment.” I looked down and considered the plain, full skirt and long-sleeved tee top, and understood. The habit for one in the Order of the Present Moment is whatever one happens to be wearing.

Later, that evening, after I'd pondered the events of that day, while preparing supper for my children, I asked another question that came to mind. “Who is the patron of this order?” Once more, God's voice spoke clearly, within me. “St. Joseph is the patron.” Of course! The date was March 19—the Feast of St. Joseph.

I know at the time, I was both excited and satisfied by these answers. I made attempts to live out what I thought was the Order of the Present Moment, understanding that we all are to live fully in the present moment. I considered the significance in my own life at the time—divorced, disabled with constant pain, mother of three, recent convert, and friend to a few sisters in the convent not far from my home, but especially close to the convent's chaplain, a holy, elderly Irish priest who I later lovingly would refer to as my Irish Da.

I also considered the role of St. Joseph, and why he would be patron of an order of the present moment. Surely it had something to do with how St. Joseph in life, had to flow with whatever events occurred, in trust and confidence, obediently living out God's will for the benefit of his betrothed, Mary, and the birth and upbringing of Jesus, the Son of God. 

When Joseph was told by an angel not to divorce Mary, he obeyed, immediately changing his plans. When Joseph was told in a dream to take the child and His mother, and flee into Egypt, Joseph instantaneously obeyed. When he was told in a dream to return to Israel, that all was safe again, Joseph obeyed and promptly brought Mary and Jesus to settle in Nazareth. So St. Joseph was adept at living in the present moment, doing God's will in those moments.

A few weeks later, still excited about this “order” that God had said I am in, I mentioned the Order of the Present Moment to a Catholic publications editor. He said, “This reminds me of that book written by Caussade—something about living in the present moment. You ought to read it.” 

So I did read the classic Abandonment to the Love of God by Jean-Pierre Caussade. And yes, the understanding of living in the present moment of God's love, doing His will moment by moment, and sanctifying the present moment, resonated beautifully with the message I'd been given during Mass. However, the Order of the Present Moment was really an order, it seemed, and there surely was meant some kind of structure, for another friend said it sounded just too “loose” and kind of “strange”, nothing anyone would take seriously as a real order.

(continued on next post)