Your last point about Fr. de Chardin reminds me of Br. Lawrence's "Practicing His Presence."  Similarly, if you should ever have the chance to attend a Melkite Divine Liturgy, the sense of "breath" is unmistakably present, especially in the music, with the low drone almost sub-audible.  It doesn't matter that the liturgy is entirely Arabic, the sense of the numinous is profound.