Contents


The Gift of Faith

The Secret of Happiness

A Grain of Wheat

Pure Joy

Forgiveness

A Day in Ordinary Time

At the Cross

Thy Will Be Done

Eternal Life

Beauty

The Gift of Faith

Why faith is sometimes given to the least worthy

O Most Gracious God, why have you given me the gift of faith?

That I know of you is not a matter of my own doing. You have opened my eyes and revealed to me that you are the God of love. Though I should be filled with joy, yet I am deeply troubled because I am so unworthy. I look about me and see that most carry on their lives without seeming to know you, yet they are better than I. Why do you give the gift of faith to me, when others are so much more deserving?

What I give to others is not for you to know. My gifts are given according to a divine economy that is too deep for you to understand. You must attend only to what I have given you.

I have given you my greatest gift - the gift of knowing me. You are right that you do not deserve it. I know everything about you. I always choose the weakest of my children to be the bearers of my Word, so that all will know that it does not come from them but from me.

I am grateful, Lord, for this gift of faith, yet it is a burden to me. You demand of me that I make you the Lord of my life and serve you alone. I must give up everything I hold dear, even my very self, and follow you. I must give up my every thought and desire and fix my mind and heart on you alone. I must listen to your word and hear it as the only truth; I must heed your will and follow it as the only way. But I am a poor creature of the earth. What you demand is too much for me.

My poor child, you are still thinking according to the ways of the world. You must trust that my gift is all you need. What I have revealed to you is my love. Nothing that you hold dear can compare with this. The one thing your heart seeks is love, though you do not know its name, and I am the source of love. The things you cling to are not real love. They will not satisfy you. When you have tasted them you will hunger for more, but you will not be filled. I invite you to come to me because I know your heart, and I know that only I can make you complete. My love for you is not a burden, but a delight.

Lord, I will trust your love. But if you open my eyes to your love, even though I am unworthy, why do you not make yourself known to others?

How little you understand my ways. I did not reveal myself to you in brilliant light, or in the quaking of mountains, or in the raging storm. I came to you in the kind word and gentle touch of another like you. My word is carried in the world by my children.

The gift I have given you must be shared. This is my one command to you. I forgive all your sins; I overlook all your failings. But you cannot abide with me in eternity until you bring all your brothers and sisters to me. My love is for all. No one is to be left behind. I give you the gift of faith so that you too may carry it to the world, so that everyone you meet will come to know that I am the God of everlasting love.

The Secret of Happiness

A dialogue with the Lord on the reason for our existence

Lord, sometimes I feel like a stranger in a foreign land. I am lost and alone. I call out to you, but I am met with silence. How long must I dwell in this place of exile? I am in despair waiting for you.

You do not see that I am always with you. You have not learned to recognize my voice. I have not abandoned you; you have fled from me. How I would fill you with my love if only you would return to me!

Lord, I do wish to come back to you, but I do not know where to begin.

You can do nothing by yourself. You must let go of everything you cling to and trust me alone. You must not set your heart on anything in this world, because nothing in this world will bring you lasting happiness. You must not even cling to your life, precious as it seems to you, but you must die to your very self. Unless you trust me in this, you cannot be with me.

Lord, I want to trust you, but I am afraid to let go of everything.

You are afraid because you are man. You are of the earth, and you cannot see eternity. You mistake the passing comforts of the earth for happiness. You do not see that you cannot be filled with my love until you are emptied of everything else. I alone know what will bring you happiness, for it was I who left the empty place in your heart that only my love can fill.

Understand this, for it is the secret of your happiness - nothing in this world can take the place of my love for you.

Then what must I do, Lord, for I do want your love?

Because you are of the earth you cannot love me yet, so you must love in my place the brothers and sisters I have given you. You must love them as I love, desiring only their good. You must love those whom I send you today. You must not miss the opportunity to grow in love.

You are like a grain of wheat that must fall to the ground and die to yield a rich harvest. Today you must die to yourself, so that you may yield an abundant harvest of love.

A Grain of Wheat

If a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it yields a rich harvest

Lord, my heart is filled with longing. I cannot find peace. I live in the shadow of sin and death. Will I descend into the darkness unfulfilled and without hope? Will my life slip away in silence and despair?

You do not understand what a great mystery your life is. You do not see how dear you are to me. Of all the wonders of creation, earth is my favorite. It is my garden, where I raise living things of every kind. And you are the most beautiful of all, my child. I nurture you and watch you grow. I look forward to the day when you will fill my house with your beauty like a fragrant flower.

But you do not see how beautiful you are. You hide in the shadows. You cling to what little you are, and you think it a great thing. But you are a mere grain of wheat, a hard, dry seed. How little you see what you are, and what a rich harvest you could be.

I sent my Son to you to show you what a wonderful thing it is to be man. Thus he spoke:

"Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat. But if it dies, it yields a rich harvest."

He showed by his life and death the truth of his words. O that today you would listen to him. If you would place your trust in me, I would make of you a rich harvest. If you would place your life in my hands, I would lead you to everlasting peace.

Pure Joy

Sometimes when I least expect it you fill me with pure joy

Lord, sometimes when I least expect it, you fill me with pure joy. It is the joy of knowing that you are with me, and my life is in your hands. I do not know what will become of me tomorrow or in eternity. But I trust that what comes from you is more than enough for me.

This joy comes only when you give it. I can do nothing to bring it about, because it comes not from within me, but from you. Lord, why can I not have this joy always?

If you had it always, you would not undergo the continual dying to yourself that opens you to my love. I know your frailty, and the limits of your faith, so I give you these moments when you need them most.

The moments of joy I give you are but a glimpse of the life I have prepared for you. They are a foretaste of the everlasting joy that awaits you when you come home to me.

Forgiveness

"I will give you a new heart, and place a new spirit within you."

Lord, you call me apart to a quiet place to deal with me in matters of sin and justice. I come before you without counsel or defense. We will speak only the truth here, since you already know the whole of me. You show me who I am, and in the light of your truth I acknowledge my sins.

The truth is hard to bear. I have wandered far away from you. You created me for yourself, but I have turned away from you and worshipped gods of my own making. I cannot make right what I have done, but unless it is set right, I am utterly without hope.

You do not understand my ways because you are man and not God. But you must understand this: you are my child, and I have never ceased to love you. I have forgiven all your sins. You must not look back on your sins except to learn from them. Instead you must look to me. You must love me with all your heart, as I love you. If you return to me I will create a new spirit within you. I will take away your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will enkindle in you a fire of love.

Lord, I am not worthy of such love. But now that you have brought me back to you, I will remain with you always. And you alone shall be my God.

"I will sprinkle clean water upon you to cleanse you from all your impurities, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. I will give you a new heart, and place a new spirit within you. I will remove from your body your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you, and make you live by my statutes, careful to observe my decrees. you shall live in the land I gave your fathers; you shall be my people, and I will be your God.
Ezekiel 36: 25-28

(Read other reflections on God's forgiveness of our sins and the need to forgive one another)

A Day in Ordinary Time

I wait eagerly for each new day as a day to grow in your love

Today is a seemingly ordinary day in the endless stream of days of my life. It passes like many others, in routine tasks, in haste, in distracted thoughts and broken conversations.

But I do not see today as it really is - a day that belongs to you. I do not see that today is guided by your hand, that you have given me this day for reasons other than my own.

You set a task before me today, one of great importance. I must look about for what it is. Someone will cross my path today who is desperately seeking your love. He cannot see you, or feel the touch of your hand, so you must send someone to touch him with a human hand. You have sent me!

I see that this is no ordinary day at all. The work you set before me today will go unnoticed by most, but that is not important. It is your work, and as I do this work your loving hand will touch me too. As I forget myself in loving another, I will see you as never before, and feel the power of your love.

And now that you have shown me the way, I will wait eagerly for each new day as a day to grow in your love.

At the Cross

The dark hour of the cross was the most decisive moment in our history

This is your darkest hour.

We never imagined that what began with so much promise in Galilee just three short years ago would end like this.

We watch in fear from a distance as they carry out this horrible deed. They raise you up. You are a tortured, broken man. A jeering crowd surrounds you. They taunt you.

"He saved others, but he cannot save himself!"

Throughout this ordeal you have not answered your accusers. But now their taunts compel you to break your silence. Finally you speak, but we can hardly believe what we hear.

"Father, forgive them. They know not what they do."

Would that you had called down fire from heaven upon them instead. But surely we have seen often enough by now that your thoughts are not like ours.

They have deemed you a criminal. You are hung with thieves. Time and again you have reached out to sinners. It is this more than anything that has brought you to this end. But even now at this most desolate time your heart goes out to a sinner. One who hangs with you is repentant. Unlike the proud and the self-righteous who scorn you, this man asks for forgiveness. He utters a desperate cry for help.

"Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

And in answer you speak words that will swell the hearts of sinners for ages to come.

"Today you will be with me in Paradise."

Now darkness comes over the earth. We wait. You cry out to your Father. And he takes you home. Only later would we understand that this dark hour at the cross was the most decisive moment in our history.

Lord Jesus, we are not the righteous and the strong. We are frail, sinful men, broken in spirit, and in need of your healing love. We too are repentant, and we seek your forgiveness. Do not treat us as our sins deserve, or we will be without hope. But remember us when you enter your kingdom.

(Read another reflection on the crucifixion)

Thy Will Be Done

To do your will brings joy to my heart

God, you are the Lord of my life. You called me forth from nothingness. I belong to you.

I do not trouble myself with what is too lofty for me. I was not present at the creation. You did not seek my counsel when you unleashed the forces of the universe. I am content to worship you from my place here below.

The world and everything in it belongs to you. You created all things, and you gave everything its place and purpose. I too am the work of your hand. What purpose you have for me I cannot fully grasp. It would be easier for me to hold the ocean in my hand than to understand the breadth of your providence.

You reveal your will for me one day at a time. And, like bread, the portion you give me today is enough for the day's journey. I watch for you and I listen for your word, so that when you speak I will be ready. For if I miss your word I will go hungry for another day.

I place all my trust in you. To do your will brings joy to my heart. I do not fear the forces that surround me, neither the fury of the universe nor the evil of men. For you have placed within me a power greater than any other - the power of love.

It is your will that I love as you have loved me. You revealed for all time the depth of your love when you sent your own beloved Son, to dwell among us as man, to lay down his life for us, and to show us the way to you. I will strive to follow his way. For to love as he loved is to do your will.

(Read another reflection on God's will)

Eternal Life

I rejoiced when I heard them say, "Let us go to the house of the Lord."

Lord, you created us for yourself out of your great love for us. But you have placed us in a world that sometimes seems like a valley of tears. We do not understand why, if you love us so, we are made to dwell in exile, so far from you.

We do not question your will; it is far above us. But everywhere we turn we find suffering and grief. Vast numbers of your children suffer want. The poor and the weak are oppressed by the strong. Sickness plagues the earth, leaving a trail of sorrow. Death snatches a mother, leaving a child alone, or a child, leaving a mother desolate. And in the end all of us journey inexorably to the grave. We do not understand these things.

If the life you created in us were to end in nothing more than our descent into the darkness of death, we would be utterly without hope. But you have assured us that you will raise us one day to eternal life with you. You have assured us that the suffering of our life on earth cannot begin to compare with the joy we will find in you. You even gave us your beloved Son, who suffered like no other, as your irrevocable promise of eternal life.

You have taught us that we do not have a lasting dwelling place here on earth. Our true home is with you. We do not know what we will become when we enter eternal life, but it is enough for us to know that we will be all that you created us to be, and we will be with you.

We pass our days on earth filled with hope. We do not set our hearts on anything in this world, for we know that we belong to you. We watch and pray, and wait for the day when you will call us home to you. We fear nothing in this world, least of all death. At the end of our days on earth, we will echo these ancient words:

"I rejoiced when I heard them say,
Let us go up to the house of the Lord."

(Read another reflection on the eternal life)

Beauty

What comes from your hand cannot be anything but good

Lord, you look on all your creation, and declare it to be good. Who am I to say it is not so?

I am the work of your hand. You breathed into me your own spirit. You created me for yourself, in your own image and likeness. How foolish I would be to make myself into something other than what you created. How foolish I would be to look for beauty on the surface of things, when you show me that beauty is within. How foolish to judge by appearances, when you judge the heart. Yet such a fool have I been.

How blind I am not to see the goodness in even the lowliest of your creatures. For what comes from your hand cannot be anything but good. You impart to all your children a share of your precious gift of life. Each one I meet belongs to you, and bears within himself that exquisite beauty that comes from you. How can I regard a child of yours as anything but beautiful, since you declare him so? Yet such have I done.

But you have cured me of my blindness and given me the eyes of faith. Now I see that the treasure within us is a share in your own divine life.

God looks into your heart and sees the beautiful child he created. Read more...

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