How earnestly do you seek to find God in your daily living? If we claim to be Christians, followers of Christ, this is a curious question to ponder…do we follow him out of love or obligation?
Like the wise man who went on a long journey to find the one who was born king of the Jews, do we seek diligently to know God and to strive for relationship?
Continue reading “Love or Obligation”
Do you have a yearning for divine presence? Does your heart long to love the Lord as you are loved, letting nothing come between you. Do you regularly pray for the grace to shed the excesses of this life keeping you free from distractions and the lure of wealth. Letting your heart and mind to be solely devoted to loving and serving Christ. This is a life well-lived.
Continue reading “Embracing Divine Presence”
I recently read an article that reminded me of a profound truth: God is the one who causes the growth of grace in our souls. Yet, we freely participate in this divine process. Last year, Smitten With Goodness focused on the seasons of prayer: Blessings and Adoration, Petition, Intercession, and Thanksgiving. Prayer creates the sacred space for a relationship with God. One of the most vital ways we engage in our spiritual growth and the growth of grace is through petitionary prayer.
Petitionary prayer holds a unique and often overlooked place in the spiritual life. Essentially, you and I can ask God to cause His grace to flourish within us. It is a simple yet profound petition: “Lord Jesus, have mercy on me, and please increase Your grace in my soul.” Few people think to ask for such a thing, and some might even consider it selfish. However, it is not selfish; it is an act of humility. To ask for the growth of grace is to acknowledge God’s power at work in our spiritual life and our need for Him in everything, including the growth of grace. It pleases God to grant this request.
“Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone?… If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matthew 7:9, 11)
The Lord is not referring simply to temporal blessings but even more to spiritual blessings. What greater spiritual blessing is there than an increase of sanctifying grace and union with God? Let’s ask for what we need: the grace to see how much God loves us and for God to open our hearts to receive this love.
Why not make space in your life today and rest in the reality that you are loved by the eternal God?
There’s a reason we are to aim for the stars. Perhaps not in the way our culture expresses this aspiration. But like the wise man (magi or kings), who traveled a great distance, following a star, to find baby Jesus after he was born, what distance will you travel this year to know your belovedness?
We plan time for daily prayer, reading scripture, slowing down enough to catch our breath to notice God but the daily stress and chaos of life always suck us into the vortex. When you find yourself in this mess, do you go it alone like our culture ingrains in us or like the wisemen do you stop and look to the stars and seek Him?
We have a choice and this is the spiritual battle. We can be distracted by things of this world, even the good things.
What star do look for? Am I focused on God’s will for my life, or am I distracted by lesser “stars” of media, status, and material goods? In what ways can I better acknowledge Jesus as my King, our God, and our Savior in the coming year?
If we follow our North Star of Christ, we can rest in the chaos knowing we are loved. When we seek Him, we find Him. We find God, truth and the beauty of our faith.
Today is the feast of Epiphany which brings to completion what the feast of Christmas began. The redemption has become real, in us and upon us. The Lord has come to visit us, has made us clean, has joined us to himself most deeply. We know we are loved.
Continue reading “The Gift of Being Loved”
Feast of the Holy Innocents, Martyrs
Fourth Day of the Octave of Christmas
When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi, he became furious. He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi. Matthew 2:16
Today on the fourth day of the Octave of Christmas, we are given a similar witness to the one we received on December 26, the Feast of the Martyrdom of St. Stephen. But today’s feast presents the same evil in a different and even more tragic light. Here, out of envy and hatred, Herod had countless innocent children killed in an attempt to eliminate Jesus, the newborn King.
Reflect, today, upon that which is most painful for you this Christmas season. Whatever it may be, you are invited to unite your hurt and pain today with the sorrow of the families who lost these little ones. Let God do for you what He ultimately did for all of them. Let His Incarnation, death and Resurrection transform your hurt into a crown of martyrdom. In the end, the Lord will be victorious in your life if you let Him.
Lord, I surrender all hurt, pain and confusion to You. I unite myself, this day, with the sorrow of those who lost these little children and I trust that their lives, as they reign now in Heaven with You, are a sign for me of things to come. Your birth into our world was the greatest sign that You are our Savior and that You can turn all things into good. Jesus, I entrust my life to You and know that You will right every wrong. Jesus, I trust in You.
Feast of St. Stephen, First Martyr, Second Day of the Octave of Christmas
They threw him out of the city, and began to stone him. The witnesses laid down their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul. As they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Acts 7:58-59
Reflect, today, upon the demand imposed upon you by the birth of the Savior of the World. From an earthly perspective, this “demand” can appear overwhelming. But from the perspective of faith, we recognize that His birth is nothing more than an opportunity for us to enter into new life. We are called to enter into a new life of grace and total self-giving. Let yourself embrace this Christmas celebration by looking at ways you are being called to give of yourself more completely. Do not be afraid to give everything to God and others. It’s a sacrifice worth giving and is made possible by this precious Child.
Lord, as we continue the glorious celebration of Your birth, help me to understand the effect that Your coming among us must have on my life. Help me to clearly perceive Your invitation to give myself completely to Your glorious will. May Your birth instill in me a willingness to be born anew into a life of selfless and sacrificial giving. May I learn to imitate the love that St. Stephen had for You and to live that radical love in my life. St. Stephen, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.
In Psalm 98, all of creation is called upon to make a joyful noise before God, for the Lord has come to “judge the earth,” and restore His Creation. We should not fail to see our own hand at work in the destruction of creation, in our sins of waste and decadence. This “judgment of the earth” is, in some part, a judgment of us as caretakers. But God is merciful and full of grace, and rather than leave everything in our hands, He gives us the Life-giver. This beautiful hymn makes the connection between the coming of Christ into this world and the beginning of that restoration. Christ brings “joy to the world,” a light where there is darkness, growth where there is decay. And we, along with all Creation, respond with a song of praise. Singing is praying twice so let our hearts sing!
Joy to the world the Lord is come
Let earth receive her king
Let every heart prepare Him room
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven and Heaven and nature sing
We will sing, sing, sing
Joy to the world
We will sing, sing, sing
Joy to the world the savior reigns
Let men their songs employ
While fields and floods rocks hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy
We will sing, sing, sing
Joy to the world
We will sing, sing, sing
He rules the world with truth and grace
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness
And wonders of His love
And wonders of His love
And wonders, wonders of His love
Joy to the world
We will sing, sing, sing
Joyful, joyful we adore Thee
God of glory, Lord of love
And hearts unfold like flowers before Thee
Opening to the sun above
Joyful, joyful we adore Thee
God of glory, Lord of love
And hearts unfold like flowers before Thee
Opening to the sun above
Joy to the World (Joyful, Joyful)
Song by Phil Wickham ‧ 2019
O Emmanuel, King and Lawgiver, Desire of the Nations, Savior of all People, come and set us free, Lord our God.
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
and ransom captive Israel
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appears.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to you, O Israel.
O come, O Wisdom from on high,
who ordered all things mightily;
to us the path of knowledge show
and teach us in its ways to go.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to you, O Israel.
O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come, shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.
Loving God,
It is growing in my heart:
An awareness and gratitude of your constant love for me;
Like the sun rising in the East
to warm and comfort my life
and to bring new growth.
Smitten With Goodness 