Listen to God

 

St. Thérèse of Lisieux (The Little Flower of Jesus) has such great insight into the human spirit. She benefits all of us by her willingness (obedience) to let us into her thoughts and actions in her autobiography.

I'm not sure if you know this, but she had a deep longing to be an Apostle, a priest, a martyr, a missionary and a preacher. She also wanted to be a Doctor of the Church. (Pope John Paul II declared her a Doctor in 1997.)

There she was, in her little cell in the cloistered Carmelite monastery in France and she felt a huge pull to just go out and be all of these things. Her dreams were ultimately fulfilled following her death at the monastery at the age of 24.

She is known throughout the world and preaches to us through her life.  She was canonized a saint on May 17, 1925. 

While St. Thérèse wasn't able to fulfill her earthly longings during her short life, God had a much bigger plan for her.

She concluded, after reflecting on St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians, that her true vocation was love. She came to understand that love truly is the greatest of all the spiritual gifts.

She set about spreading the fragrance of love on everyone she met, doing little sacrificial deeds. This "little way" of hers identified her as "The Little Flower." It is not uncommon for the scent of a rose to accompany her work to this day.

If you are struggling with what you should be doing in your life, take a page out of the Little Flower's book. Take time to listen to God and discern with him. He gave her clarity from the thought of St. Paul.

As we enter into the highest holy days of the year, let Jesus speak to you from the cross. He shows us exactly what love looks like. It is selfless and sacrificial, and it requires us to voluntarily give up ourselves for the greater good.

Once St. Thérèse came to see that God was leading her to the greatest gift of all, she found peace with that interior tension. It looks to me like this was possible because she exchanged what she thought she was being called to, for what she was actually being called to.

Thankfully, her humble heart followed God. We should strive to do the same.

I hope you have a blessed Triduum. 

Pray for peace and an end to war.

Janet Cassidy
Email me at:  jmctm2@gmail.com

janetcassidy.com
https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith/
https://www.youtube.com/@janetcassidy 

 

 

 

What about YOUR sins?

 

 

I've always wondered how, after spending all that time with Jesus, Judas missed Jesus' message of forgiveness. 

After learning of the consequence of his betrayal, rather than turning to Jesus in his great remorse, Judas took his own life into his hands. 

While the events of the betrayal and the arrest of Jesus needed to play out, Jesus didn't condemn Judas. Judas condemned himself for his sin.

During this Holy Week, it is a good time for us to think about how often we condemn ourselves and just assume that God won't forgive our sins. As we watch the events play out and clearly see that Jesus died for us, we still stubbornly refuse to believe THAT sin can be forgiven, so, like Judas, we think all is lost and turn away from Jesus.

This is not the work of God. God doesn't want us to stay away from him. He wants us to believe in his saving action. He wants us to experience his grace that will be poured out on us as both forgiveness and love.

Take some time this week to reflect on the Gospel of Matthew, Chapters 26 and 27 and turn toward the cross. Seek the forgiveness and healing of which you are in need.

Come to appreciate the saving act of Jesus.  

Pray for peace and an end to war.

Janet Cassidy
Email me at:  jmctm2@gmail.com

janetcassidy.com
https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith/
https://www.youtube.com/@janetcassidy 

 

 

 

What's the deal, God?

 

 

                                                  

I've been thinking about prayer and how we feel when we don't get what we want.

"What's the point?" we ask, if our prayers don't elicit a response, or specifically, the response we are asking for.

We might even conclude that if we don't have the ability to manipulate change, or God, when we pray, then why bother?

We may even just give up on the idea of prayer altogether, feeling like we're just putting our petitions out into the universe where no one is listening. 

A couple of things to remember, when we get frustrated by prayer . . .

For one thing, prayer helps us come into union with God, in his communion of persons--Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Also, our prayers should be pure.  Let's not pray to win the lottery. Let's ask God for something we really need or for the needs of others. Let's ask for his will to be done.

But, what if we are praying for a true good--something God himself would want (like someone coming back to the Church)--and nothing happens?

What then? 

What if we've done everything right and we still get radio silence from God? 

At that point, we have an opportunity to practice humility. To remember that the act of praying is a statement that we believe in God and trust him. To remember that we are the created, not the Creator.

It is an opportunity to pray for God's timing and his will, not ours. It's not what we can get out of our relationship with him. That's not what prayer is about.

I remember praying for something I wanted really bad many years ago and it didn't happen. Now, many years later, I can see why God in his wisdom held back on my desire.

I often do not understand--in the moment--what God is doing (or not doing), but the most important thing for me is to remember that God is present in the moment and allowing me to go through whatever I am dealing with.

That waiting in humility and trusting in his silence is a perfect chance to grow closer to God and to replace my own desire with the desire for his will. 

Our wills should be aligned, mine to his, not his to mine.

Prayer is an act of love, and God wants nothing more than for us to draw near to him. Never give up on prayer, for to do so, is to give up on God.

Pray for peace and an end to war.

Janet Cassidy
Email me at:  jmctm2@gmail.com

janetcassidy.com
https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith/
https://www.youtube.com/@janetcassidy