Where Are You?
Knowledge cultivates love; love cultivates Communion, and Communion cultivates Resurrection.
It's inconsistent to want to spend eternity with God, and not give Him any time on Earth. God says, "You shall seek Me, and you shall find Me, when you shall seek Me with all your heart."- Jeremiah 29:13
God respects everyone's free will and allows everyone to choose to love and have a relationship with Him. Relationships thrive on mutual love and devotion to one another. How bizarre and contrary to human nature would it be for God to force you to love Him? True love is freely given, and freely received; given and received as a gift.
It's improper to say, "Where is God?" When you do not go to Holy Mass on Sunday and receive the Eucharist, you don't frequent the sacraments, you have zero prayer life, you don't go to Eucharistic Adoration, and don’t do any spiritual reading. How can you have a relationship with someone you don't talk to? How can you know someone you don't spend time getting to know? The more I get to know the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the more I love Him!
"Our young people are saying, "I don't want to go to mass. I don't get anything out of mass. "Of course they don't, they don't bring anything to it. You don't get anything out of the Louvre unless you know something about art. You don't get anything out of a visit to Europe unless you know something about history." - Venerable Fulton Sheen
Why perish for lack of knowledge? How do you complain about not getting anything out of going to mass, when you don't know a thing about it? Like any relationship, you have to put in the work and cultivate time, for it to flourish. When you're in a relationship, what do you do? You get to know the person! Time and effort are needed, or the bond will inevitably fizzle out. Take initiative with your faith, and learn about it. Read spiritual books, study the catechism, learn about the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and cultivate a personal relationship with Christ. Take time to get to know God! Knowledge cultivates love, love cultivates communion, and communion cultivates Resurrection.
The next time you are tempted to say "Where is God?" You should first ask yourself, "Where am I?" God is right here, in our midst. He is on the altar in The Eucharist waiting for you! You say "God has abandoned me!" How can He abandon you, if He lives within you? If you are a baptized Christian, you have the indwelling of The Holy Trinity within you. You simply need to rid yourself of all the unnecessary noise and dive into the blessed quiet to be able to discover The Holy God hidden within you. Give nothing, gain nothing. Give everything, gain everything. How can you gain everything, if you give nothing? How can you grow in faith, and grow in the spiritual ascent if you don't try and learn more? The beauty of The Catholic faith is that it is an endless sea of wisdom, of eternal truths, that one can never come to an end of. The Lord is Ever Ancient, and Ever New, unending and eternal knowledge.
After the fall, Adam and Eve hid from God; and God asked them a question. “The Lord God then called to the man and asked him: Where are you?” - Genesis 3:9
God is still asking sinful man, the same question today.
The spiritual ascent is one of essentially ridding yourself of everything, until you find yourself like Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden before the fall, needing nothing but God, and living in perfect harmony with The Creator and creation. "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it." - Matthew 10:39
It's in giving up the false glimmer of the secular world, that we discover the true dazzling light of eternity.
"Let nothing disturb you, Let nothing frighten you, All things are passing away: God never changes. Patience obtains all things. Whoever has God lacks nothing; God alone suffices." - Saint Teresa of Avila
I often ponder upon the fact of how the modern world is simply a facade. Secular society is living completely incorrectly. We are on earth simply to make it to Heaven. As Saint Vincent de Paul says, "Our business is to gain heaven, everything else is a sheer waste of time!"
"Watch carefully then how you live, not as foolish persons but as wise, making the most of the opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not continue in ignorance, but try to understand what is the will of the Lord." - Ephesians 15:16-17
God is not only asking “Where Are You?”, but He's also wondering :
"Why don't we talk anymore?"
I'm sure there's been a time in your life when you've asked yourself this question in regard to someone. You pose the question to yourself, then direct it to God. - "God, why don't we talk anymore - why is this person not in my life anymore?"
This question cuts deep. Especially if you can identify nothing that went wrong in the relationship to cause the lack of communication. "Did this person even care about me? Was our whole relationship meaningless?"
I think Christ is asking mankind the same thing. "Why don't you talk to Me anymore? The zeal you once had has worn off, the fire I put in you, you've let go from burning hot to lukewarm. I offer you Heaven, and you look to the world, settling for mere dust, when I created you for paradise. Why don't you come to Me in prayer? Why don't you talk to Me anymore?"
I never want Christ to pose this question to me. I never want to be the cause of the cut-off of communication with the One who loves me the most. I will make time for prayer. I will make an effort to spend time with, cultivate, and nurture my relationship with My Savior. I want Christ to be pleased with my prayers, with my love, and with our relationship. I never want Him to ask me “Where Are You?” “Why don't we talk anymore?" I will always talk to Jesus, even if the whole world doesn't want to, I will. Even if everyone abandons Jesus, I never will, and I hope you will do the same.
“What are your human loves, compared to Mine?” - Jesus
He died for you knowing that you may never live for Him. Define unconditional love, and behold the wounds of The Sweet Savior.
Serviam.
February 9th is the Feast Day of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich.
“What is that to you? Be not troubled, look, and praise the Lord who is eternal and in Whom are all things.” - Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich