(This article originally appeared in the TAU-USA Winter 2026 Issue #118)
By Francine Gikow, OFS
Patrick Mendes, former U.S. National Minister of the OFS (2006-2009), said in an interview, “It is not what we do but what we bring to what we do. What we bring is our charism – our charism of our peace and joy and love for God’s creation.” The next question then becomes, “How can I bring this to others? I’m shy. I can’t speak in a group. I’m not educated in apologetics. I’m just a layperson!”
If I say, “I’m just a layperson,” I am not living what God has made me to be. I am a person called by God to be His arms, His eyes, and reflect His love toward others in the present. We should not underestimate the value of our lives in God’s hands. Allow Him to take charge in your life and He will change it. There is nothing more credible than a life alive with the Holy Spirit and the Father’s love! When we allow God to take over our life, the overflow of joy from His Presence can be contagious. Nothing evangelizes more powerfully than a life filled with the joy of God!
As we open our lives to God, we become more aware of His Presence each day. We ask God for the grace to become more sensitive, mindful, and intentional so we can become aware of how God interacts within our world and through our relationships. I describe this as my “treasure hunt” for God.
Historically, those on the spiritual path looked up toward heaven and the majesty of God. Franciscans, however, look down toward our created world and the relationships within it. We find God through a helpless baby born poor and dependent upon parents. We, like Francis, find God in the leper, the forgotten, the hurting, and the “lesser ones.” We are relationship people!
We may have initially been attracted to God through nature – the vestiges of God’s love which he made as “good.” We may also have found God’s presence in the Eucharist, Scripture, the sacraments, or in relationships with our spouse, fraternity, the church, and in society. However, this grace looks for God in everything and every-where and we need to heed this call.
The Irish talk about the “thin places” where heaven seems to touch the earth and where God seems to “leak” through. “Thin places” are where God shows Himself to us. He is present in all things and all times, but we miss Him and how He interacts in this world. It is hard for us to detect His presence in the everyday.
This is when we ask for the grace to “see” God active in our relationships, our suffering, and in our joys. We ask to see with God’s eyes and not our own. As we are filled with gratitude for our loving God, we become more aware of Him working through us. Our relationships and conversations become more intentional as we mindfully hold His presence within us. We become more joyful and thankful since we have personally known God’s love. This resulting joy from experiencing God makes us evangelizers. Love and joy attract! We become evangelists!
In The Presence You Are, Jan Novotka sings, “It’s not what you do, but how you do it. It’s not what you see – but how you see. It’s not what you say, what you know or achieve. But it’s the presence, the presence you are!
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