A spiritual director once suggested that for a period, I pray God to intervene in peoples' lives if I am firmly committed to bringing about the change that I seek. In other words, I can pray for refugees from war if I am willing to be involved in some way with those refugees. I can pray for the sick or imprisoned if I am willing to be part of their healing or lives in some way. So when I pray for Ukrainian refugees I must be committed to be part of their care.
Recently I have been drawn to ponder Isaiah 55. Part of our difficulty in finding God is that our brains keep trying to fit God into our limited perspectives of God. I have found that only in surrendering to an intelligence far beyond anything I can even begin to comprehend do I find a glimpse of the magnificent unconditional love that is through all and in all.
Thiis morning I give Thanks that I am a apart of this community of dust in this very troubling, dark time. My quick prayer in personal or world dark times is Ps 121 vs 1&2 I lift up my eyes to the hills-- from where will my-"OUR " help come? My "OUR" help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth. thank you Creator God for being always with me and US. May it be so for everyone. Grateful and woring on being Grounded!
A Dorothy Day quotation in today's Notre Dame Daily Gospel Reflection seems germane to your thoughts on this challenging question: "This Lenten season, may the words of Dorothy Day from The Reckless Way of Love give us hope during our days of trial: 'I should know by this time that just because I feel that everything is useless and going to pieces and badly done and futile, it is not really that way at all. Everything is all right. It is in the hands of God. Let us abandon everything to Divine Providence.' " (Darrell R. Paulsen '94 M.Div., Director, Regional Development, FaithND <faith@nd.edu>)
I have struggled with this question over the last few years and have been blessed to gain an understanding that God (Love) is present in all situations -- even the worst. God not only walks side by side with us but if we listen, shows us the way into the future. It is not God who "lets" these situations occur, rather, it is a God (Cosmic Christ) who laments, mourns, and sheds tears with us at the horrific atrocities and evils that human beings enact. I have meditated on and with Jesus on the cross and Mary at the foot of the cross and their pain and suffering was not absent of Love rather it was Love that brought them to the cross -- a Love that is ever-present, boundaryless, and all consuming. This Love calls us into action - to be a vessel of Love in this world. Love is the light that shines through the darkness. If we are blessed to get a glimpse of that, we no longer ask "Where is God in all that?" but affirm God's presence that buoys us up to endure and emerge on the side of Love.
A spiritual director once suggested that for a period, I pray God to intervene in peoples' lives if I am firmly committed to bringing about the change that I seek. In other words, I can pray for refugees from war if I am willing to be involved in some way with those refugees. I can pray for the sick or imprisoned if I am willing to be part of their healing or lives in some way. So when I pray for Ukrainian refugees I must be committed to be part of their care.
Recently I have been drawn to ponder Isaiah 55. Part of our difficulty in finding God is that our brains keep trying to fit God into our limited perspectives of God. I have found that only in surrendering to an intelligence far beyond anything I can even begin to comprehend do I find a glimpse of the magnificent unconditional love that is through all and in all.
Thiis morning I give Thanks that I am a apart of this community of dust in this very troubling, dark time. My quick prayer in personal or world dark times is Ps 121 vs 1&2 I lift up my eyes to the hills-- from where will my-"OUR " help come? My "OUR" help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth. thank you Creator God for being always with me and US. May it be so for everyone. Grateful and woring on being Grounded!
Last line of prayer is Grateful and working on being grounded.
A Dorothy Day quotation in today's Notre Dame Daily Gospel Reflection seems germane to your thoughts on this challenging question: "This Lenten season, may the words of Dorothy Day from The Reckless Way of Love give us hope during our days of trial: 'I should know by this time that just because I feel that everything is useless and going to pieces and badly done and futile, it is not really that way at all. Everything is all right. It is in the hands of God. Let us abandon everything to Divine Providence.' " (Darrell R. Paulsen '94 M.Div., Director, Regional Development, FaithND <faith@nd.edu>)
I have struggled with this question over the last few years and have been blessed to gain an understanding that God (Love) is present in all situations -- even the worst. God not only walks side by side with us but if we listen, shows us the way into the future. It is not God who "lets" these situations occur, rather, it is a God (Cosmic Christ) who laments, mourns, and sheds tears with us at the horrific atrocities and evils that human beings enact. I have meditated on and with Jesus on the cross and Mary at the foot of the cross and their pain and suffering was not absent of Love rather it was Love that brought them to the cross -- a Love that is ever-present, boundaryless, and all consuming. This Love calls us into action - to be a vessel of Love in this world. Love is the light that shines through the darkness. If we are blessed to get a glimpse of that, we no longer ask "Where is God in all that?" but affirm God's presence that buoys us up to endure and emerge on the side of Love.
Thank you! Really appreciate your insights here.