Spirituality for Today August 20, 2014

The Mystery of Divine Love by Father John Catoir

The revelation that God is love began long before Jesus
was born. God sent his prophets to bring us this amazing truth.
One of them, named Zephaniah, lived around 650 B.C.
Prehistoric humans worshiped the stars, the moon and the
sun, all of which are inanimate objects incapable of love. We
know this is through archeological findings, monuments like
Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England.
Zephaniah preached against these pagan beliefs, and
proclaimed that the one, true God of glory was a loving God. At
the end of his book in the Hebrew Bible, Zephaniah wrote a
beautiful hymn of joy, (Cf. Chapter 3:17, Jerusalem Bible). He
speaks poetically about Gods love: God will exult with joy
over you he will renew you by his love, He will dance with
shouts of joy for you, as on a day of festival.
It was this passage that gave me the courage to entitle one
of my books, God Delights in You, (Alba House, NY). When
you love someone, isnt it true that you are happy to be with him
or her? Imagine God feeling that way about you. Its true!
Jesus, by his death on the Cross, taught us about the
fullness of this mystery: Greater love than this no man has than
to lay down his life for his friends, (John 15:13)
The Lord said, God so loved the world that he gave up his
beloved Son that the world might be saved. He described his
own mission in these words: I have come that my joy may be in
you and your joy may be complete, (Jn. 15:11).
God wants us to share his joy with us. Trusting his love is
the vocation every believer; and the highest level of faith. The
Lord also asks us to give our love in return. Hopefully a deep
yearning will rise within you, and one day you will say: "My
soul longs for you, O God," (Psalm 42:2).
Cast away any doubts you may have about the chances of
your heartfelt prayers reaching God. He is aware of every
gesture, every whisper; every tear. In fact your very desire to
reach him is already his gift to you.
He could easily blind you with his light, but then you
would be taken against your will, like a moth drawn to a flame.
Such a scenario would not be true love. God wants you to come
to him freely, in full faith. On that day you will be free from the
prison of self.
Pope Benedict XVI made this interesting connection
between an egotistical life, that is, a life that does not
conscientiously abide in God, and a life of faith that deliberately
does so: "Authentic self-discovery is not only a journey, but an
ongoing exodus out of the closed, inward looking self.
Gods love empowers us to be free and joyful, on good
days and bad. We have to will it. The door is there but we must
open it. Consequently, supernatural joy is primarily in the will,
not the feelings. Of course there will be days of deep
satisfaction, but not until we see God face to face will we
experience the perfect joy of heaven.
In the meantime, suffer the silence of God: Take courage,
do not doubt or be afraid. Behold God will save you. However,
there will be times when you must suffer his silence, M.
Eckhart.