Purpose and Path

Oh my dear readers... life never ceases to amaze me! Neither does love, for that matter.

God is so incredibly gentle with me, even in reproach. In recent days I have been reflecting on the idea of humility in my life, as it is a virtue toward which I am constantly striving (or at least wish to do so).  We are called to something far greater than ourselves, and for that very reason our purpose is bound up in who we are, and where we came from - in this case, God. He, and not just some flowery idea of "heaven", is our destiny. The word destiny implies a journey, which indicates motion. The idea that our destiny is a Being, a Divine Being, makes it something sacred. As with any journey, we must pack the necessary things. For us as Catholic Christians, this means the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and the sacrament of Reconciliation (aka Confession), daily prayer, penance, and tools for the cultivation of our interior life (keeping up morale, striving for discipline and virtue).

I am one of the "little souls" St. Therese of Lisieux often spoke of in her autobiography, the ones Fr. Angelo Casimiro, MIC, talks about in this homily, "God's Power Made Perfect in Weakness".
Some people think a lot of me, and I appreciate their support and love. But ultimately, I am not a great person, in thought or deed. I'm simply another little soul that God loves enough to take the time to pursue with His love and mercy.

Sadly, I am not always receptive to His call, to His nudges, His invitations to a wonderful and grace-filled life. Often I become discouraged because I make mistakes, hurt those I love and generally make a fool of myself. But God is right there, longing for my return, willing me to believe in hope, and the amazing power that He has to turn my life around, if I will only walk with Him. I wish I remembered that more often.

Next step: more prayer! One of our parish priests often says, "Prayer is talking to God; prayer is listening to God; prayer is loving God." It is a way of communicating with the One who guards and guides us, getting to know the One who is "Alpha and Omega, beginning and end." Prayer is all about meeting God, encountering His presence, entering into His life, sharing our lives and all that we are. Prayer is not a to-do list, a simple catharsis, or a way of getting what we want; it simply does not work that way. Prayer is a language we use to connect with God - and a language He uses to speak to us, to show us His love, to inspire us. Now, there's a word I love. "Inspire" comes from an old Latin word meaning "to breathe into", and we see the breath of God as something very powerful in Scripture, something we understand as giving life, hope, grace, peace and strength. In the modern sense, the word usually means "to prompt" and leads to action or realization. Therefore, when God inspires us, He bequeaths His wisdom to our souls and enables us to prepare for the next steps. I know that I feel comforted knowing this!

So I continue on this path, this journey towards my Destiny - and I already know that He waits with open arms - because He's by my side, too!