A Quick Q&A on Love

Photo by Devin Kennedy

A dialogue with Jesus:

Jesus: "Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them." John 14:23

Me: What is your "word"?

Jesus: "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another." John 13:34

Me: What do you mean by "another"? I love my family, my friends.

Jesus: "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? ... love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. ..." Luke 32-36

I mean everyone. "...even the stranger... even enemies... the poor... those in need... the widow... the orphan... the immigrant."  Luke 10:25-37, Matthew 5:44, Matthew 25:31-46, Isaiah 1:17, Zechariah 7:8-10

"By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:35

Me: What do you mean by "love"?

Jesus: "...to pray for them..." Matthew 5:44

"...to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God." Micah 6:8

"Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love." 1 John 4:8


May our hearts respond: Good and loving God, you love everyone. You desire that all people be united, even in our diversity and differences. You desire that we all may be one in you. You tell us not to judge. You tell us to extend love and kindness to others. Help us. Help me to be watchful and to guard my heart from hatred and lies. Help me to recognize and reject all things that separate me from you and from your call to love others. Help me to recognize anger and turn it over to you. Help me to allow your grace to transform me so that I may love you and others more fully. Thank you for your love, the hope you give, and your promises. Amen.

What should I do with my life?

Photo by Devin Kennedy

What should I do with my life?

It's a question I ask myself and pray about a lot. What was I made to do? What are my gifts and talents? How can I find work that I enjoy and that is fulfilling? How should I use my free time? How can I have a happy life?

Maybe you are like me and wonder the same things.

Sometimes we feel like we just want someone (God, if you're a person of faith) to tell us what to do with our lives. I pray to hear God's voice directing my life, and I have friends who make the same prayer. Let me share how I have felt God's voice in my life, and how you can hear him speak in yours -- because no matter who you are or what you believe, God is seeking you and desires to walk with you in your life.

I call it "the stirring." I recognize it when it feels like my heart is leaping for joy and/or excitement and/or hopefulness when I'm doing certain tasks or reading something of interest. Do you know the feeling?

This is the voice of God speaking directly into you.

Even Jesus' disciples experienced the stirring and recognized it as the presence of Jesus. One time, on a walk to the village of Emmaus, they didn't recognize Jesus by sight, but they recognized him by what they felt: "The said to each other, 'Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road?'..." Luke 24:32

Whatever is good, whatever is true, whatever is right, has the power to stir our hearts to help us to recognize the voice of truth in our lives.

And once you feel that stirring in your heart, know that God is revealing something to you personally. We can turn it into a prayer and ask him to speak more clearly, or to guide us, or to open doors for us, etc. Or, you can do one of my favorite short prayers and just say, "hi." God will respond -- he is always trying to make himself known to us. Even when we open the door just a tiny bit to him, he can do great things in our lives.

Feel the stirring; follow the stirring.

"In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths." Proverbs 3:6

The Quickest Ways to Pray

Photo by Devin Kennedy

Sometimes we feel that we don’t have time to pray. Sometimes we feel that we don’t know what to say or don’t have the words to express all that’s going on in our hearts and minds. Let me share with you two of the quickest ways to pray.

When we feel we don’t have time:

Just think of God. Give God little shout outs. Say hello. Invite him to speak to you. Ask for something. This practice can be used by anyone -- people who never pray and for those who pray a lot. Here’s what it could look like:

Hi, God.

Thank you, God.

Help me, God.

What should I do, God?

He gets so overjoyed when we think of Him, and he will use any opening we give him to bless us with his grace and to draw us closer to him. 

When we don’t have the words:

Lift your heart to God. Do this by telling God you’re giving him your heart or picture yourself offering it to him. God will lovingly receive your heart. He hears and understands the cares of your heart -- even when we don’t understand them ourselves!

“In the same way, the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings. And the one who searches hearts knows what is the intention of the Spirit, because it intercedes for the holy ones according to God’s will.” Romans 8:26-27

The Lord is near and he waits in great anticipation to hear from us! He has a lifetime of gifts he wants to give each one of us, and he’s eager to do so at any and every opportunity. ...Hi, God.

“Prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.” St. Therese of Lisieux

First a Daughter or Son

Photo by Maureen Kennedy Macel

When Jesus was about thirty years old, he was baptized by John the Baptist and began his ministry. We read in Scripture that at Jesus’ baptism, the voice of God the Father was heard from the heavens saying:

“You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” Luke 3:22

Jesus is a lot of things: Word of God, Savior, Healer, Miracle Worker, Preacher, Teacher, Prince of Peace, Carpenter, Friend, Lord, Suffering Servant, Son of Mary, the Christ, the one who sets people free, and many other titles and attributes.

But here he is defined by God as a Son above all other things.

Let us be mindful of this Truth: We are not defined by our work, life circumstances, strengths or weaknesses, successes or failures, or status. Our identity is first and foremost as a son or daughter of God.

Hear God speak this to you: “You are my daughter/son, the beloved; with you I am well pleased.” Know that he delights in you simply because you exist. He created you with love, and he will always claim you, and his loving heart is there to embrace you in every moment of your life.

Oops! Sometimes I’m an opinionated control freak.

Photo by Maureen Kennedy Macel

… Jesus’ mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.” So they took it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now. … John 2:5-10

While reading this the other day, I was struck by the servants’ silence and obedience. I became aware of my own tendency to weigh in on things and to share opinions and viewpoints that I feel are correct and justified.

If I was in the story, it would probably read much differently: Jesus would say, “Fill the jars with water. … Now take them to the chief steward.” And I may say to him or those around me, “What does he think he’s doing? What is this going to fix? They don’t need water, they need wine.  Dang, these jars are heavy. Great, now this steward is going to think I'm out of my mind. If Mary would have asked me to take care of the wine, I would have done it another, better way instead.”

I’m grateful the helpers in the story were servants; I can learn a lot from them. If you’re like me and if opinions, criticisms, and complaints sometimes creep out of your mouth, this is a friendly reminder that we are not the center of the universe. God is at work in each of our lives. Would you like to join me in prayer and ask for the grace to walk where God is leading and to trust his plan?

Good and loving God, come into my heart and help me to follow you with obedience, trust, and faith. Create in me a willingness to be led. Free me from the desire to be in control and to be seen as "right" or better than others. Help me to recognize my ego at work and to bring it low so that your work may be accomplished and that you may be glorified. I believe in your love for me, and I trust you. Amen.

We are not alone - God is pursuing us.

Photo by Maureen Kennedy Macel

When my 2-year-old niece and I play outside at my parents’ house, she loves to run down the sidewalk to the end of the street. A few weeks ago on a warm and sunny day, she took off running, never looking back, and laughing with delight the entire way.

I didn’t want her to get too far, so I was running quietly and closely behind her. Suddenly, a dog barked from inside a neighbor’s house, and I saw fear flash across her face and she froze. She quickly turned to run back to the safety of our family, and as she turned, I was there within arms length, and I reached for her. She saw me, and I saw her fear disappear in an instant. She flashed a big smile, turned around, and started running away again.

My niece's running is totally beautiful and innocent, but through this God allowed me to see:

• Sometimes we are running full speed toward our own desires and away from God's best for us. No matter where we go, or how far go, or how lost and alone we feel, Jesus never leaves our side. He is pursuing us. When we stop, he is there. When we turn toward what is good and true, the way back is not as long as we may expect because at that exact moment, God is reaching for us. He closes the distance. He will carry us to the way of real love and possibility.
• When I reached out for Nora, I was so deeply happy to see her fear disappear because she knew she was safe.  If this is my human experience of love and joy of being there for a child, imagine how much more God who is holy and the source of all love experiences love and joy for his children.
• God will always chase us with only love in his sight. And in the moments when we stop, he reaches for us and rejoices that he can be our Savior, Protector, Rescuer, and Friend.

The Lord will always be pursuing and waiting for us. He rejoices when we stop, when we turn back, and when we grab hold of his arms and let him carry us.  His heart is pure mercy.

A Beautiful Reconciliation

By Maureen Kennedy Macel

At confession I confessed my sins, including a few I have been holding on to for a while. It was hard to confess them. Not because I don’t regret them, but because it is hard to say them aloud and admit them - to another person, to God, and to myself. Even though God already is aware of my sins, I felt it hard to admit my sins and ask for forgiveness.

But there I was in the confessional admitting my sins, one after another. It sounded like I was a terrible person. I felt like a terrible person. In some ways I wanted to put some caveats on my sins, explain to the priest “well this one happened way back when…” or “that sounds bad but let me explain the circumstances a bit more…”. But when it comes down to it all there is the sin and me. God doesn’t want my excuses. God wants my sorrow, my regret, my repentance.

And then he wants to forgive me. He loves me despite my sins, but he wants me to come to Him and seek repentance and then change my ways and sin no more. He offers me His light and He wants me to live in it. When I sin it is I who choose darkness instead of light. But God is great, loving, forgiving, ready to welcome me back with open arms when I seek reconciliation.

To face your decisions, especially your regrettable ones, requires surrender. To surrender to your ego, your denial, your avoidance of the truth. It is not easy. But when you do it, after it is all done and you’ve been given a beautiful penance (yes, a penance can be beautiful) and you are restored into his light, you see that surrendering in Reconciliation is a beautiful surrender.

When we stand before God on our Judgement Day we will be a sum of what we have done - in thought, word, and deed. God will not ask us to explain our decisions. The fear (and beauty) of that day inspires me to make the decisions God wants me to make. I am the sum of my decisions. Since every moment I exist He sees the true me, I should live in a way that acknowledges this so that when I stand before Him on that day, I will not fear Him seeing me in the truth of who I was.

At my moment of judgement all that I try to cover myself with to hide my failings will be stripped away. My soul will be naked before God. Jesus will be my advocate at my side, but it is I who will face judgement and decide if I am worthy of God’s grace or not. I pray to God that I find myself to be worthy enough to choose His eternal love. Contemplating that moment strikes me with fear - because I know I don’t fully understand his love and grace, but I hope that I understand it enough to prepare myself to meet that moment as best I can.

http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/sacraments-and-sacramentals/penance/index.cfm
http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/how-we-teach/catechesis/catechetical-sunday/sacramental-forgiveness/theological-reflection-dumont.cfm