Month: October 2020

What a week! What gives? Have you ever found yourself expressing those sentiments? 

This past week I could surely have said them.  Yet, all in all, it was a great week because through every bump, turn and sudden stop, God was there. In trying to always build on my relationship with Him and looking  for His presence, instead of feeling stressed, I felt wrapped in God’s love. By the end of the week, the message was clear. No matter what, I can have God’s peace beyond all understanding (Phil 4:7) because He will never leave me nor forsake me. (Deut 31:6)

I had been praying for my work to offer a retirement incentive. The rumors were there. Suddenly covid plans changed and I found that I could no longer work remotely. I decided it was time to go. We never know how God will answer our prayers. My elderly mother turned out to be the incentive I was given. I couldn’t risk her health or risk being isolated from her.  While I was certain it was the right thing to do, I was anxious. I wanted to retire within the year, but I didn’t think it would happen so quickly. Working one day and making definitive retirement plans the next is far faster than I ever operate. My greatest worry was finances. Unlike many, I have no husband to rely on for an additional income. I prayed for peace that I was making the right decision. Two days later I was at Mass and the Gospel reading was on the annunciation. The key phrases in that passage that touched me were, “Do not be afraid. God has been gracious to you.   You will give birth to a son. How can this be? I do not have a husband. The Holy Spirit will come upon you.  She is very old.  Mary took off in haste.” (Luke 1:30-39). For me, the translation of these phrases was, “Do not be afraid. It’s time to retire. You do not have a husband, but you have  Me. Go in haste because your elderly mother needs you.” Peace came instantly.

The rest of the week was overflowing with changes, stops and turns. My son came home from California. He helped me during the first two months of Covid. I call him my coach. He helps people to get up and move to accomplish whatever they want. What better person to be with me during the transition. The timing of that change was perfect.  Within two days of being home, his puppy accidentally ripped my dog’s side open while playing. The doctor said it would cost $1000 to heal him. What? I got the thought to be brave (not generally my style) and I said I didn’t have that kind of money. With that, they offered the option of staples instead of stitches  $800 less. Thank you God. Then my car broke down. I was waiting for a huge bill. It was free. It was a faulty part that was put in a year ago and it was still under warranty.

Looking back on my week so I can learn about God‘s love for me is something I always do.  In this week I could clearly see Him showing me that not only was it time to retire so that I could be His love to my mother, but that my fear of finances was unnecessary .  Just as I would always say yes to His desires, He would always take care of me.  That is how relationships work.  He is my Spouse, Father and Friend and I reciprocate as spouse, daughter and friend.  I couldn’t ask for anything better. 

The truth of God always taking care of me is a truth that is there for all of us. I think it is always important to look back on our days and week to see where God is in our lives.  When we make this a practice and are suddenly hit from all sides, tempted to turn in on self and want to ask, “What gives”,  we may already know that the better question is, “Who gives?” and the answer will be God, the One who loves us. That answer comes more easily when we are in a relationship with Him and can then offer back our giving response. 

Without having a relationship and praying for an incentive,  I would have missed that God was in a relationship with me.  I would have missed seeing Him as my Father, Spouse and Friend always willing to help me and answer my prayers.  The incentive was not money, but love. Without a relationship and without looking back, I may have missed Him showing me that I did not need to fear the unexpected costs of life. He would always take care of me by giving me His care and as part of our relationship, He supplied me with all I would need to give back by taking care of my mother and being His love for her.

Relationship is key.  God is in every aspect of our lives and in every surprise, good or bad. He has our back. We just have to take the time to build on the relationship and take the time to take notice.  It is in the building up of the relationship that we will have peace, hope, love of neighbor, confidence and a heart that is always stirred up with love for God.  It is not a stagnant relationship.  It is ever growing and full of love.  That is a great comfort when life offers sudden changes because it is then that we find that He is our rock and anchor in the storm.  It is also then that we can be made aware of the opportunities He is offering us to not only receive His love, but reciprocate it by being able to do for Him by being His hands and His heart in bringing His love to others. When this is the fruit of our relationship, we can hopefully say both God and I when we ask, “Who gives”?

Prayerfully Ponder the Following:

The Annunciation is Mary’s yes to God.  Being pregnant and not married was cause for being stoned to death.  Understandably it could have been a very difficult yes if she didn’t have a relationship with God, but because she did, she could trust that her loving yes to God would be met with His love…relationship.  Meditate on the Annunciation and put yourself in Mary’s position with God asking something of you that you may be fearful of doing.  If there isn’t something that you presently are hesitant about doing, try putting yourself in a past situation in which you said yes to something that took great courage.  It doesn’t matter if you didn’t see God at the time of your decision because it is now an opportunity to look back to see Him and build on your relationship with Him through it. (Luke 1:26-38)

Prayerfully ponder Deut 31:6.  Talk to God about it.  How might your relationship grow from this passage and your talk?  

Prayerfully ponder Phil 4:6-7.  Talk to God about it. What can you learn about relationship through it?

Prayerfully ponder Col 3:23. Talk to God about it.  What can you learn about relationship with God through it? 

Make it a practice to look back on your day and your week to see God’s presence in your life.  What part of your relationship with Him might He be trying to help you grow in?

“The heart is the dwelling-place where I am, where I live; according to the Semitic or Biblical expression, the heart is the place “to which I withdraw.” The heart is our hidden center, beyond the grasp of our reason and of others; only the Spirit of God can fathom the human heart and know it fully. The heart is the place of decision, deeper than our psychic drives. It is the place of truth, where we choose life or death. It is the place of encounter, because as image of God we live in relation: it is the place of covenant.” (Catechism 2563)

The heart is a holy place. It is where we encounter God. It is the place where we encounter our desires. It is where we discover what is important to us because we are honest about what hurts us, what makes us happy and what we hope for. It is the place where we see the truth of our authentic selves if we dare to embrace it with honesty and, at the same time, if we don’t know how we feel, it is the location where the Holy Spirit prays with groans for us because we cannot find the words needed. God is love (1John 4:8) and it is in the heart that we discover God and His love, our love of neighbor and our self love.

Often times we ignore the heart because it seems too painful. That is because we fail to take note that if God is love and the love is painful, God’s love and message resides in the pain for us. Never do we have to be afraid to confront the pain because it is within that pain that we find God.  It is there that He patiently waits for us.

It is sad when we fail to embrace the love that is within, but it is equally sad when we fail to recognize it in another. Often people reveal their hearts to us. When they do, that is a very sacred act. Do we realize that? Do we understand that we are entering holy ground? Do we recognize God and eagerly open our hearts to better understand the love or do we only half listen? Do we step all over the love by listening with only one ear while waiting to break in with our words of wisdom? When we offer those words, are they the result of our honoring the holy heart we are encountering or are we simply attempting to spread what makes us feel good? Are we refreshing the heart of the other or are we satisfying our ego? 

What an amazing opportunity we have to be in the presence of holy love! How sad when we don’t embrace it. When someone opens their heart and allows us to share in it, that is a tremendous gift. They are allowing us to know a part of Jesus and His love that we are not aware of in our own lives. It is a heart that makes itself vulnerable so we can encounter this love. While we can comfort the other with the same comfort and we have been given (2Cor 1:4), the depth of the love they are experiencing is unique to them and we have been offered a gift when we are invited in. 

If we could be aware of the holiness that is within our hearts, we would listen more attentively to our heart and the hearts of others. Then when we finished the encounter of love, we would emerge differently than what we were prior because we had an encounter with God and His heart burning with love gives us a special glow. (Exodus 34:29)

PRAYERFULLY REFLECT ON GOD’S LOVE DWELLING WITHIN BY: 

Prayerfully reflecting on Catechism 2563 as above.

Praying on “God is love.” (1John 4:8)

Praying on “I pray that Christ will make his home in your hearts through faith.” (Eph 3:17)

“Praying on “I pray that you may have your roots and foundation in love, so that you, together with all God’s people, may have the power to understand how broad and long, how high and deep, is Christ’s love. Yes, may you come to know His love – although it can never be fully known—and so be completely filled with the very nature of God.” (Eph 3:17-19)

PRAYERFULLY REFLECTING ON THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING A LISTENING HEART

“That which you do to the very least of my brothers is that what you’re doing to me.” (Matt 25:40)

“Carry each other‘s burdens and this way you shall fulfill the law of Christ.” (Gal 6:12)

“Remember this my dear friends! Everyone must be quick to listen, but slow to speak and slow to become angry.” (1James 1:19)

“The Lord has given us eyes to see with and ears to listen with.” (Prov 20:12)

God is in our neighbor.  “When Moses went down from Mount Sinai carrying the Ten Commandments, his face was shining because he had been speaking with the Lord; but he did not know it.” (Exodus 34:29)

All of History is a Dramatic Love Story Being Played Out

What a phenomenal gift we have been given! 

We have, not only the gift of life, but the gift of God within us at every moment. We move, breathe, think, reason and function because of this great gift, but that wasn’t enough.  God, in His infinite goodness, wanted us to be united as one and as part of that He gave us the ability to love with His love.  It can only be God’s love that we love with because “God is love” (1John 4:8) and all virtues are bound up in the virtue of love.   Because all virtues are bound together by love, each time we love, we grow in the fruit of all virtues and, therefore, grow in the image and likeness of God.   Each time we love, it is a reminder that we are united to God. Each time we love we are reminded that we are loved so much that He who is love entered our being to be with us always. Each time we love we are reminded of our covenantal relationship with God.  

How do we grow in that covenantal relationship? How do we draw deeply together as one?  Not as a married couple do.  The covenantal love we have can only be made deeper with prayer.

The fruit of our prayer life is shown in our actions.  In understanding that, we can see that all of history, right to the present moment, is the story of God and His union with us. We see the choices we make played out.  We see people who ignore the union clashing with those who embrace it and we can see various levels played out on both sides. All of history is a battle of some sort because there is a battle for our soul and what we see here is a mirror of that spiritual reality. God is a jealous God (Deut 4:24) and all of history is Him fighting for us. The fight didn’t end on Calvary. He continually calls us into a deeper love and if that love is threatened, He fights for us so we can keep our eyes on Him and be with Him for all eternity.  All of history is a dramatic love story being played out.

We all want to be loved unconditionally.  We all want to be first in someone’s life.  We search for it failing to realize that what we long for, we already have.  We often see God as someone who is there to help us when we decide we need Him, but we fail to work on any relationship with Him.  Is that the kind of relationship we would want with others?  One that is only called upon when help is needed? One in which we were always filled with hope that we would be received with unconditional love and not just for what we can do for the other?  If we wouldn’t want to be in that position, why would we place God in it?  The union is there.  The love is present.  You have a story unfolding before your very eyes and it is waiting to become your greatest love story ever told.  

Prayerful Reflections  

It can only be God’s love that we love with because “God is love” (1John 4:8) and all virtues are bound up in the virtue of love.

“God is a jealous God” (Deut 4:24) and all of history is Him fighting for us.

“Prayer is bound up with human history, for it is the relationship with God in historical events.” (Catechism 2568).

How might you look at events in history differently if you saw each event as a story of our union with God being played out?

God, what should I do? Please show me the way! I am so confused! Sound familiar? I think we have all said those words or something to their affect from time to time.  We know deep down, no matter where we are in our walk, that if we chose God’s will, we would be doing the right thing and good would come of it.

Following the will of God is foundational to our faith. It is what identifies us as the children of the Father as children eagerly do the will of their parents. It is what reveals our Christianity because Jesus died so that we may be one family living as the children of the Father. When we are unsure of what to do and want God’s direction, we are reminded that at our very core, we know we are children of the Father and the deepest desires of our heart is to please Him.  While those times of uncertainty may seem very difficult, they are beautiful reminders of what is truly important to our inner most beings…union with God.  Hearing God requires a relationship with Him.  The closer we are to Him, the easier it is to follow His will. The more distracted we are and attached to the world, the harder it is. Scripture illustrates this for us.

As we recall the story of the apostles fishing after the resurrection of Jesus, we remember that they were out all night and didn’t catch any fish.  As morning approached they headed to shore. Now with the sun lighting their way they could see Jesus and He told them to put their nets back in the water. They could hear Him and they did what they were told. As a result, 153 fish entered the net. What looked like a waste of time in regards to fishing turned out to be very profitable.

In that story we often hear that it is because they followed God’s will, that they were successful. We can read stories about the difference between them not hearing God when it was dark and hearing Him when it was light. We know that sometimes the darkness comes from no relationship with God and being far from Him, while at other times the union is so strong that His presence cannot be felt so it seems dark just as it happened to Jesus on the cross.  The light is different, however.  We know the light can only come with prayer and relationship. All those reflections are true, but I think the fish teach us a great deal as well and they are often neglected. 

On one occasion the apostles were on a boat with Jesus and He fell asleep during a storm.  When He awoke, He calmed the storm and the apostles asked who Jesus was that even the wind and the waves OBEYED Him. Even the wind and waves gave their yes. If they could give their immediate yes, we could surmise that the fish gave their yes as well.  All creatures are subject to Him.  We very often say yes, but often it’s very slow. Slow, not because we don’t want to say yes, but because we want to make sure it’s God. Our hearts are in the right place.

The difference between the wind, waves, fish and us is that we have intelligence and with that, reason. That is a gift, but it must be handled with care. On a daily basis we have the revealed thoughts of others coming at us as well as our own thoughts. These thoughts manifest themselves in words and material goods. They show themselves through hearing words and reading them. We see the thoughts that became inventions that we now have in our possession, see others having  or would like to have one day.  Day in and day out, we are receiving thoughts or the fruit of someone else’s thoughts and we try to reason them all out. We try to discern.  

While we can never be like the wind, waves or fish, they teach us what can happen when we tune out of the excess and focus on God alone. There are three practices we can follow that can help us accomplish this.

The first, of course, is prayer. 

We must spend time in prayer. Without it, we cannot learn to recognize God’s voice. We must not just spend time talking to Him.  We must remain quiet and listen as well.

The second way is reading scriptures. 

It is the only way to understand the ways of God. While God is infinite and scripture is only a taste of who God is, without them, we would not even have the taste. While it is good to read the writings of other Christians and saints, we are reading their reflections based on scripture. We are getting a glimpse of their relationship.  Their writings definitely help us grow, but they are no substitute for us going directly to the source for our relationship.

The third way is to be careful of what we expose ourselves to. 

In the 50s and 60s, experiments were done on people in which they were repeatedly given an audio message thousands of times on a looped tape to alter their behavior. God did not alter their behavior. The repeated suggestion did.  Now it seems that we have the television for that.  We can easily fall into the trap of allowing  someone’s thoughts to penetrate are thinking on a daily basis because we understandably want to be informed.  We, however, don’t have to be exposed to that level of influence to see that we are swayed by what we allow in. Have you ever decided to buy a car of a certain color and then suddenly, that color car was all you saw?  By that example, we can easily see how we can go down the wrong path because of a suggestion we continually focus on or are exposed to. How good this gift is when it is used to build a relationship with God.  How bad it is when the enemy uses it to draw us away from Him. The more we expose ourselves to something that is not of God, the harder it is to hear Him.  If you are repeatedly told that water is a threat to your health, you are going to have a hard time believing that water is life-giving. You will even have a hard time excepting it if God is telling you it’s life-giving because you won’t recognize Him. It is important to be mindful of what you open yourself up to.  It is important to fill your mind with what is good so that you are a better able to stay open to hearing God. St. Paul said, “Fill your mind with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable. Put into practice what you learned and received from me, both from my words and from my actions. And the God who gives us peace will be with you.”  We fill ourselves up with those positive, uplifting things because God is in them and they keep us open to Him. They are life-giving because all that is of God is life giving.  He is not the source of negative talk that is the opposite of those St. Paul mentioned nor anything sinful. All those do is put up a barrier, making it difficult to hear God.  When our relationship with God is constantly worked on, He becomes the filter by which we process all we hear and we are more aware when it doesn’t sound like Him.  By paying attention to the things of the world with balance and ensuring that God is the filter by which we allow things to enter into our psyche, the world can say to go left, and will be able to hear when God says to go right.

In summary

We have the responsibility to build our relationship up with God and guard against things that make the relationship difficult to grow and, at the same time, difficult to hear and follow His will. We have a choice. Do we want to satisfy the deepest longing of our hearts or leave it empty?  Do we want to be people who spend our time fishing unsuccessfully in the dark or as those who hear the word of God, act on it and find great joy and purpose because of it.

PRAYERFULLY REFLECT ON

Meditate on these scripture passages:

Matthew 8:23-27

John 21:1-13

Pray on those circumstances that you want more than anything to make the choice God knows to be good.  What does that tell you about the deepest yearnings of your heart?  Talk to Jesus about what you discover. 

Are you spending time in prayer so as to build up your relationship with God?  Are you talking to God and then allowing time to sit in the silence so that the depths of your soul can hear Him?

Are you spending time reading scripture?  Are you reading it for knowledge or as a means to grow in your relationship with God?  A good way to use scripture to grow in your relationship is to use it as a source of meditation.

Is there something that has a strong repeated influence on you that might be blocking you from hearing God?  Can you bring a greater balance to the influence? 

Do you try and focus on that which is positive and good?

Meditate on Phil 4:8