Catholic Faith Space
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Last month, I bought my mom an outdoor porch furniture set for mother’s day and her birthday, not only because I thought it would be a nice touch to the front porch, (but also partly because I wanted to be able to utilize the set too!). I have found the front porch to be a great place to be. Whether it is to start the day, end the day, or somewhere in-between, it is a place to sit with God.
A front porch is one of the most seemingly ordinary spaces. Sitting on a front porch when you live in a small village in the midwest can sound quite average. There are no mountains, no bodies of water, and no other especially scenic views. But God is there. We don’t have to be on a retreat, at a conference, or having a mountaintop experience in order to encounter God. While it is important to have those experiences that boost our faith and give us a sort of spiritual high, we cannot live in those moments forever. More often, we will be living our daily lives, going through our ordinary routines. And it is just as important for us to find God in these moments too. Whether we realize it or not, I think we all crave simplicity. We tend to make so many aspects of our lives complicated, including our faith. When we look at the lives of the saints, we can see that so many of them modeled this spirit and lifestyle. God speaks to us in so many ways, even in the most ordinary moments of our days. Seeing a beautiful and breathtaking sunrise or sunset, listening to the sounds of the birds in the morning, sitting with scripture or a good book are all ways that we can experience God while sitting on the front porch. We don’t have to go far or do great things in order to recognize God. He is waiting for us to encounter Him in the most ordinary places and spaces. This week, find some time to sit on the front porch with God. He will be there, sitting with you.
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The symbol of the heart is really prevalent in our society. Whether it’s the various heart emojis on our phones that can be used when texting and in social media posts, the hearts found in greeting cards, or hearts that are incorporated into logos or billboards, we see heart images everywhere. The symbol of the heart is used to express and represent love. But there is one heart that stands out above all others, and that is the heart of Jesus. In the Catholic Church, the month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This month helps us to dive deeper into this beautiful devotion, which shows us what love is.
We’ve all seen the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, either in statue form, in a picture on the wall, or on prayer cards. It is one of my favorite images of Jesus, because it reveals so well who Jesus is and helps us to reflect on how much He loves us. We cannot know what love is or begin to understand what it looks like without knowing the heart of Jesus. Until we have an encounter with His Sacred Heart, our own hearts are cold and hard. When we feel our own hearts beating and acknowledge the blood pumping through our bodies, we must recognize that it is Christ’s love for us that is holding us in existence in every moment. In the image of the Sacred Heart, we see that the heart is on fire. Jesus’ love for us burns intensely and the flames never die out. His heart is also surrounded by a crown of thorns and pierced with a lance. We so often wound Him with our sins and reject Him and His love. Yet, His heart is filled with mercy and He continues to offer His heart to us anyway. Do we allow the fire of Christ’s love to penetrate our own hearts so that we can learn how to love? Jesus, thank you for loving us and giving us your heart. Help us to love you in return. Give us the grace to reject the false ideas of love that our culture shows us and point us towards your Sacred Heart, burning with love for us. Draw us closer to your heart, so that we would never forget your desire for us. Make our hearts like yours. Set our hearts ablaze. Amen. A few weeks ago, I was driving home from a wedding. It was late and dark outside but I figured I didn’t need to pull up the maps app on my phone because it was only 20 minutes from home and I had driven in that area plenty of times before. I thought it would be easy enough to take a few side roads that would lead me to the highway. But this is where I was wrong. A few apparently wrong turns and I suddenly was in an area that was completely unfamiliar. I underestimated my poor sense of direction. I thought I knew the way and didn’t think I needed any directions or guidance from my GPS. How often in our lives have we thought we knew the way and that we didn’t need direction from God?
Most people like to have a plan, and not just a plan for the day or for the week, but for their whole lives. And while this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it can sometimes lead to leaving God out. How often do we think we know what is best or think that our wants and desires are better than God’s will for us? We can ultimately drive the car and make our own decisions, but if we think we know the way and don’t ask God for direction, we will get lost. Our willingness to turn to God all really comes down to trust. Do we really trust God, fully and wholeheartedly? If we do, we will stop relying on ourselves and ask Him for direction, placing our whole lives in His hands. We will acknowledge that we have a poor sense of direction regarding what is best and allow God to guide our paths. It is easy to believe that we have it all figured out or that we know what we’re doing and where we’re going. But the truth is, we all need guidance and we all need to be shown the way to go. God will always lead us in the right direction, as long as we place our trust in Him and listen. The next time you’re tempted to make a decision or go a certain way by relying on your own knowledge, turn to God, the greatest guide and source of direction we have. |
AuthorStriving to share hope, joy, God's love, and all of the good stuff, one blog post at a time. Categories |
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