How many times does it feel like we ask, but we do not receive? Or we seek, and we do not find? If I am being honest, I find myself in that situation more times than I care to admit. I think there are some common challenges most of us have to being able to truly find and receive grace in our lives.
The first challenge is that we struggle to believe that Jesus can truly work miracles in our lives. In a recent homily, I asked the questions: Can we really expect Jesus to heal this land, if we reject Him in the Eucharist? Can we really expect Jesus to heal this land, if we reject His authority in the Catholic Church?
When it comes to a macro situation like healing the United States, we have limited control over the millions of Christians that on the one hand pray for Jesus to heal our land, but on the other hand reject the miracles in their midst; namely, His true presence in the Eucharist and how He leads us through the Catholic Church.
But, apply this to your personal life. Where are those situations where we reject Jesus? Do we have negative opinions of the Church, of Pope Francis, of Archbishop Rozanski? Do we ever let those opinions go a little too far? Are there teachings of the Church that we tend to ignore, or perhaps outright reject? These have a way of whittling away our faith without us even knowing about it. They can become impediments to finding and receiving grace in our lives.
The second challenge is that we haven’t truly given Jesus Christ Lordship over the situation. Early in my faith journey, I remember having a conversation with one of my mentors at the time. I tried to end the conversation on an optimistic note, even though I was far from an optimistic person at the time. I ended my sentence with “God willing.” The response I received was burned into my soul. He looked straight into my eyes and said, “God is willing, are you?”
To be able to truly find and receive grace in our lives, we must fully surrender our entire life and our entire will over to the care of God. When we try to hold on to controlling the people, places, and things in our lives; it can become a source of fear, anxiety, resentment, and anger. All of these can become impediments to finding and receiving grace in our lives. We must simply learn to let go and let God.
The third challenge is that we have forgotten how to receive love. This is largely due to how we have been programmed by our American society. We’re programmed to be highly individualistic We’re programmed to get up, shake off the dust, and get right back on the horse, pretending that nothing ever happened. We don’t allow ourselves to be vulnerable. We don’t allow ourselves to open our hearts, to allow our hearts to be healed.
This impacts our spirituality and results in impediments to finding and receiving grace in our lives. We must learn to be more vulnerable, and to open our hearts more that grace may enter more freely through that pathway of love in order that we may enter more deeply into the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ.
Let’s make that our focus. Knock at the door of the Sacred Heart. Leave everything not of God at the street. Allow Him to totally consume you in the Flame of Love.
Thanks be to God!
No comments:
Post a Comment