Jean-Pierre De Caussade (1675-1751), was a French Jesuit.
He is well-known for his book Abandonment to Divine Providence in which he coined the term “the sacrament of the present moment.” Caussade’s key theme is: “If we have abandoned ourselves to God, there is only one rule for us: the duty of the present moment.” We must live from minute to minute. The past is past, the future – though a living hope – is yet to be.
The present is where Christ manifests Himself as us. Therefore the present is a sacrament. A sacrament is an outward sign of an inward grace. To see the present moment as a sanctified moment and as an opportunity where Christ lives His life as us, is really superb. A sacrament is always recognized as of particular importance and significance. And so do we! True mystics are always much more practical than the ordinary run of people. They seek reality, not the fleeting. They want God as He is, not as we imagine Him to be. So we see the sacrament of the sanctified present moment.
“The truly faithful soul accepts ALL things as a manifestation of God’s grace, ignores itself and thinks only of what GOD IS DOING.”
