Absent Quote by Thomas Keating
“St. Teresa of Avila wrote: 'All difficulties in prayer can be traced to one cause: praying as if God were absent.' This is the conviction that we bring with us from early childhood and apply to everyday life and to our lives in general. It gets stronger as we grow up, unless we are touched by the Gospel and begin the spiritual journey. This journey is a process of dismantling the monumental illusion that God is distant or absent.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Spiritual Canticle by St. Teresa of Avila, 1577
Prayer feels ineffective when we imagine God as distant; true prayer requires sensing divine presence.
In simple terms: Prayer fails if we think God is absent.
Key Takeaway
Cultivate awareness of God's presence.
Themes
faith
prayer
spirituality
Mood
contemplative
hopeful
Type
spiritual
inspirational
When to use this quote
- personal meditation
- church services
- spiritual direction
- daily devotions
Key Concepts
theology
mindfulness
Questions to Reflect On
- How does your perception of God's presence affect your prayer life?
- What practices help you sense divine closeness?
A Different Perspective
If one truly feels God's presence, prayer may still feel challenging due to personal doubts.
![“Again, I hear almost everyday from atheists who write off religion as primitive, premodern nonsense. I summon Aquinas, Augustine, Paul [of Tarsus], Teresa of Avila, Joseph Ratzinger, and Edith Stein-in all their intellectual rigor-as allies in the the struggle against this dismissive atheism.” quote by Robert Barron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/86d/robert-barron-13186_allies_again-i-hear-almost-everyday-from-atheis_35728.jpg)
