Finding the Presence of God

Notice when you see compassionate hospitality amidst your transitions.

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There is a plaque on the wall of our home that says “Bidden or Unbidden, God is Present.” We don’t use the word “bidden” in our language but it means ‘Called upon or not, God is still here.’

The influential psychologist Carl Jung and his wife Emma liked the saying so much that in 1906, they had it carved over the front door of their home in Switzerland. Carl later saw to it that it would be etched on his gravestone.

But God being present, whether or not we request it, doesn’t refer to a loud-mouthed relative who crashes family gathering as an unwanted presence. God is anything but an unwanted relative. We usually ask God for help when we are in trouble. When we are hurting and want things fixed.

Carl Young wasn’t the author of the saying but he read it back when he was 19 years old in his classic Latin studies. He found it in the writings of Erasmus,¹ the Renaissance scholar and humanist.² And Erasmus found it from the writings of the ancient Roman poet Ovid³ who cited the oracle of Delphi.⁴

¹ 1466–12 July 1536. Erasmus was a classical scholar who wrote in a pure Latin style.

² Collectaneas adagiorum, a compilation of passages from classical authors…