What does omnipresence look like?

[Colorad007]

I’m having a tough time grasping God’s omnipresence. When I pray to the Father, I try to actually picture omnipresence, but it’s a bit overwhelming to do so. What does it even look like? I know that God is basically everything, and that everything exists in Him, but that He also transcends everything. But what does that even mean? How is it even possible to relate in a personal way to the Father–especially as Father–when he is literally everywhere? Is He in the chair I’m sitting in? How does that actually work?

Also, is Christ’s glorified body omnipresent in such a way that we also exist in that physical body, live our lives in that body, etc.? Is Christ’s physical, human, glorified body all around us? When I picture Christ while in prayer, should I think of a single human being sitting somewhere (not here) or whatever, or should I think of a totally omnipotent body, however you might picture that in your mind?

 

[Scriptorium]

He is pure being. He is that which gives existence to everything. Omnipresent means that there is no place where we can find “non-being”. All we can see is being mixed with potential being, thus our sight is obscured. But God is pure being. God is everywhere, but he isn’t everything. Analogy and anthropomorphizing are ways for us to understand according to our limited intellect.

As for Christ’s body, it is best to think about Him as he came. I don’t think we can understand His body fully. I think the meaning of it is that He is like us, and we are like Him, and this commonality is how we communicate. Christ, however, lacks nothing the Father has, so Christ’s body is omnipresent. But the point of His body is communication to us. Even though He lacks nothing, He can (and does) purposely communicate to people in ways we wouldn’t expect. One of these ways is communion. All of my contemplation of Christ is His human nature. God the Father can be contemplated in His mystery. And the Holy Ghost can be contemplated as love infused into our very being so that we are transformed and conform to the divine pattern.

 

[Lancer]

Great question…here is the great answer…from Saint Thomas Aquinas…from New Advent website…much more at link below.

Summa Theologica – Saint Thomas Aquinas

[Question 8. **The existence of God in things

Is God in all things?
Is God everywhere?
Is God everywhere by essence, power, and presence?
Does it belong to God alone to be everywhere?

Article 1. Whether God is in all things?

Objection 1. It seems that God is not in all things. For what is above all things is not in all things. But God is above all, according to the Psalm (Psalm 112:4), “The Lord is high above all nations,” etc. Therefore God is not in all things.

Objection 2. Further, what is in anything is thereby contained. Now God is not contained by things, but rather does He contain them. Therefore God is not in things but things are rather in Him. Hence Augustine says (Octog. Tri. Quaest. qu. 20), that “in Him things are, rather than He is in any place.”

Objection 3. Further, the more powerful an agent is, the more extended is its action. But God is the most powerful of all agents. Therefore His action can extend to things which are far removed from Him; nor is it necessary that He should be in all things.

Objection 4. Further, the demons are beings. But God is not in the demons; for there is no fellowship between light and darkness (2 Corinthians 6:14). Therefore God is not in all things.

On the contrary, A thing is wherever it operates. But God operates in all things, according to Isaiah 26:12, “Lord . . . Thou hast wrought all our works in [Vulgate: ‘for’] us.” Therefore God is in all things.

I answer that, God is in all things; not, indeed, as part of their essence, nor as an accident, but as an agent is present to that upon which it works. For an agent must be joined to that wherein it acts immediately and touch it by its power; hence it is proved in Phys. vii that the thing moved and the mover must be joined together. Now since God is very being by His own essence, created being must be His proper effect; as to ignite is the proper effect of fire. Now God causes this effect in things not only when they first begin to be, but as long as they are preserved in being; as light is caused in the air by the sun as long as the air remains illuminated. Therefore as long as a thing has being, God must be present to it, according to its mode of being. But being is innermost in each thing and most fundamentally inherent in all things since it is formal in respect of everything found in a thing, as was shown above (Question 7, Article 1). Hence it must be that God is in all things, and innermostly.

Reply to Objection 1. God is above all things by the excellence of His nature; nevertheless, He is in all things as the cause of the being of all things; as was shown above in this article.

Reply to Objection 2. Although corporeal things are said to be in another as in that which contains them, nevertheless, spiritual things contain those things in which they are; as the soul contains the body. Hence also God is in things containing them; nevertheless, by a certain similitude to corporeal things, it is said that all things are in God; inasmuch as they are contained by Him.

Reply to Objection 3. No action of an agent, however powerful it may be, acts at a distance, except through a medium. But it belongs to the great power of God that He acts immediately in all things. Hence nothing is distant from Him, as if it could be without God in itself. But things are said to be distant from God by the unlikeness to Him in nature or grace; as also He is above all by the excellence of His own nature.

Reply to Objection 4. In the demons there is their nature which is from God, and also the deformity of sin which is not from Him; therefore, it is not to be absolutely conceded that God is in the demons, except with the addition, “inasmuch as they are beings.” But in things not deformed in their nature, we must say absolutely that God is.

Article 2. Whether God is everywhere?
Article 3. Whether God is everywhere by essence, presence and power?
Article 4. Whether to be everywhere belongs to God alone?

newadvent.org/summa/1008.htm

Lastly, a three really terrific books (highlighted in blue…the one on Christ is just a terrific study of Christ in the four Gospels…n the context of Christ’d words, actions, and scope of his life life…not your question topic but a must read) for these and other intriguing but mind boggling theological questions from a (now deceased) "street corner Catholic apologist/theologian… Frank Sheed.
Pax Christi

Frank Sheed (1897-1981) | Ignatius Insight Author Page

Frank Sheed was an Australian of Irish descent. A law student, he graduated from Sydney University in Arts and Law, then moved in 1926, with his wife Maisie Ward, to London. There they founded the well-known Catholic publishing house of Sheed & Ward in 1926, which published some of the finest Catholic literature of the first half of the twentieth century.

Known for his sharp mind and clarity of expression, Sheed became one of the most famous Catholic apologists of the century. He was an outstanding street-corner speaker who popularized the Catholic Evidence Guild in both England and America (where he later resided). In 1957 he received a doctorate of Sacred Theology honoris causa authorized by the Sacred Congregation of Seminaries and Universities in Rome.

Although he was a cradle Catholic, Sheed was a central figure in what he called the “Catholic Intellectual Revival,” an influential and loosely knit group of converts to the Catholic Faith, including authors such as G.K. Chesterton, Evelyn Waugh, Arnold Lunn, and Ronald Knox.

Sheed wrote several books, the best known being Theology and Sanity, A Map of Life, Theology for Beginners and To Know Christ Jesus. He and Maise also compiled the Catholic Evidence Training Outlines, which included his notes for training outdoor speakers and apologists and is still a valuable tool for Catholic apologists and catechists (and is available through the Catholic Evidence Guild).

All of his writing possessed a rare erudition, a strong philosophical knowledge, and a comprehensive grasp of Catholic doctrine. They are also full of practical advice and common sense. For example, in the introduction to his Training Outlines, Sheed observes that “proof has ceased to be the apologists principal weapon” and goes on to explain that first an unbeliever “must understand quite clearly what the thing is that you are trying to prove” and then, secondly, “he must realize that it is important — and important for him.” And, finally: “He must want it.”

ignatiusinsight.com/authors/franksheed.asp

 

[thistle]

Modern Catholic Dictionary:

OMNIPRESENCE. God being simultaneously wherever he is, since he is present everywhere. The divine omnipresence is two-fold, by nature and by grace.

By nature God is present in all things by essence, knowledge, and power. This is the presence of a cause in the things that share in God’s goodness. By his essence, he is substantially in all things, including the created spiritual essences (angels, demons, human souls ) as the immediate origin of their existence. By his knowledge, he exercises his wisdom directly in all creation down to the least details. By his power, he operates with divine activity as the First Cause of everything that creatures do.

By grace, God is further present in the souls in whom he dwells as in a temple. Hence the creature is joined, as it were, to God’s substance, through the activity of mind and heart, by faith cleaving to the First Truth, and by charity to the First Good. He is therefore present by grace as the known is to the knower and the beloved is to the lover. This presence is more than a cause in an effect. It is the possession of God on earth similar to his being possessed by the angels and saints in heaven.

 

[R_C]

I guess something like this:

Nathanael asked, ‘How do you know me?’ Jesus replied, ‘Before Philip came to call you, I saw you under the fig tree.’

 

[Nita]

I’m having a tough time grasping God’s omnipresence. When I pray to the Father, I try to actually picture omnipresence, but it’s a bit overwhelming to do so. What does it even look like?

We can only “see” material things, so trying to “picture” invisible things is always difficult. And, trying to visualize God’s Divine attribute of omnipresence is doubly difficult - since God is invisible, and omnipresence is invisible.
(We humans are rational beings. Altho it’s easy to picture a human body since its material, just try picturing “reason” or “rationalizing”. )

But, if you would like something in our physical world to compare omnipresence to, you might think of “space”. You can’t see it, not even under a microscope; all we can “see” are other material objects (including oxygen & other gases) present in it. It is present everywhere around us; we are in it. It is immaterial.
(And please remember, comparisons/analogies often fall short; and when they are comparisons to something Divine, they fall drastically short.)

I know that God is basically everything,

Not sure what you mean by this.

and that everything exists in Him, but that He also transcends everything. But what does that even mean?

Again if it helps and you want some sort of comparison for “everything exists in Him”, think of the space example above - how everything material exists in it. It’s impossible to exist and not be in it!

When we say God transcends everything, it means He is greater than everything else.

How is it even possible to relate in a personal way to the Father–especially as Father–when he is literally everywhere? Is He in the chair I’m sitting in? How does that actually work?

I hope from the space analogy you can get a sense of “omnipresence” - and can then apply that to God. Now, God IS love. God IS truth. God IS life… In other words, whatever God is, that is what you are surrounded by; immersed in; all of it invisible and immaterial, but definitely there.
To the degree it is in you, He is the source of it. To the degree you receive it from others, He is the source of it in them. He is the origin of all that is good.

As far as relating to God especially as Father, consider the following:
You exist; you are a living human being. You exist only because He wanted and wants you to exist. It is your soul that gave and continues to give physical life to your body; without it, your body would never have come alive. God alone created your soul and infused it into your body. He alone is the Father of your soul - the one who gave you life.

By His will, He gives human parents a role in the creation of a new human being. The material elements of our body come from them. And, if you ponder how that comes about, you will see that it originates from the man/father. Your father is “father” with a small “f”; God is Father with a capital “F”. If He did not FIRST want you to exist and determine to create your soul, no living person would have resulted from the union of your father and mother.

Also, is Christ’s glorified body omnipresent in such a way that we also exist in that physical body, live our lives in that body, etc.? Is Christ’s physical, human, glorified body all around us? When I picture Christ while in prayer, should I think of a single human being sitting somewhere (not here) or whatever, or should I think of a totally omnipotent body, however you might picture that in your mind?

Omnipresence is not an attribute/quality of human nature even after glorification. Jesus’ body belongs to the human nature He assumed and thus is not omnipresent.

When you are praying to Jesus, it is perfectly proper to picture Him in His human nature. “Jesus” is the name given to Him (Second Person of the Trinity) when He was born as a human baby in Bethlehem. Mt. 1:21 …“and you shall call His name Jesus,…”

His glorious human body and soul are present in heaven.

 

[sw85]

It’s not that God “is” everything. That’s pantheism. God is present in everything. More specifically, for God to be omnipresent, it must be the case that God is not limited with respect to physical presence. This means being entirely, completely present at every point in space and every moment in time. Not in the way a gas dispersed throughout a room is present throughout the room, for even there only part of the gas is present in part of the room. Entirely, completely present, in every point in space and time.

This is impossible to visualize because it is, in fact, impossible to visualize. If it were able to be visualized it would be material, and if it were material it would be limited in space and thus not omnipresent. So don’t try to visualize it. Really, don’t even try to understand it, on anything but an intellectual level. We are not meant to fully apprehend the world-transcendent God on this side of the grave.

No, Christ’s body is not itself omnipresent for the reason I mentioned above. Such a thing would be impossible. Bodies by definition are particular, local, and concrete.

 

[TimothyH]

I’m having a tough time grasping God’s omnipresence. When I pray to the Father, I try to actually picture omnipresence, but it’s a bit overwhelming to do so. What does it even look like? I know that God is basically everything, and that everything exists in Him, but that He also transcends everything. But what does that even mean? How is it even possible to relate in a personal way to the Father–especially as Father–when he is literally everywhere? Is He in the chair I’m sitting in? How does that actually work?

I think of these things, that God surrounds us, is inside of us, and that he is in heaven listening to us as we pray. If you are in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament then there is no question.

I start praying like this.

*God, I believe you are here, present in this room now. I believe you surround me. Like a bird encounters air or a fish encounters water, you are everywhere, around me. If I go up to Heaven, you are there. If I go down to Hell, you are there. If I go to the furthest shore, your right hand holds me fast. There is no place I can escape you. You are everywhere, and you surround me now.

God, I believe you are inside of me. You have promised that if we obey your commands, that the Father and the Son will come to us and make their abode in us. I believe you dwell inside me now. I can only see the outside of me but you see all of me. You see every bone, every muscle, every drop of blood. You know every thought and action of my life. You know what I have done and what I am about to do. I believe you know me better than I know myself.

God, I believe you are in heaven, that you pay attention to creation, that you listen to Christians, especially Christians at prayer. I believe you are listening to me now.

(If in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament) Lord Jesus Christ, I beleive you are present, that you can hear me and see me. I adore you with profound reverence and ask pardon for my sins. etc. *

And then I am aware of God’s presence everywhere.

The most important thing I have found to help me experience the continual presence of God around me and inside of me, and to know that he is lisening to me, is to remember that God makes his abode in those who obey him, and that he is not far up in heaven but is close. He is right inside of me. All I have to do is close my eyes for a moment and turn inward, and I am in his presence.

-Tim-

 

[TimothyH]

This is impossible to visualize because it is, in fact, impossible to visualize. If it were able to be visualized it would be material, and if it were material it would be limited in space and thus not omnipresent. So don’t try to visualize it. Really, don’t even try to understand it, on anything but an intellectual level. We are not meant to fully apprehend the world-transcendent God on this side of the grave.

This is correct. It cannot be visualized. It cannot be understood.

It must be experienced, and that is done in prayer.

-Tim-