Finding God in the Everyday

At Oka, walking under the golden trees, the woods were full of praise before we said a word.

“Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice before the LORD.” — Psalm 96:12

St. Ignatius taught that God is everywhere and in everything — that we can find God in all things. Not only in church, not only in our prayer time, but in the leaves falling, in the light through the branches, in an ordinary walk on an ordinary day.

That is the heart of Ignatian discernment: learning to notice. We pay attention to what stirs gratitude in us, to what brings a quiet peace — and very often, that is where God is. Creation first, then noticing, then gratitude, then praise.

And it does not have to be a long prayer. Many times during the day, we can pause for a silent word of thanks — or ask God’s blessing for someone else, or for ourselves. A quiet moment, right where we are.

So today, step outside if you can. Look slowly at one ordinary thing. And ask: where is God in this?