 These posts are to help you kick-start the week and find inspiration through the lives of the saints. There is a depth of value in which we can learn from their insight and reflections. We hope to share them with you so that we all live for God at work, with friends and with family.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, My spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
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 Composed by: Sr. Faustina
Recently I was hiking with my godson Jack who is 4, along with a large group of family and friends in memory of Jack’s godfather who passed away before Jack turned 1. While on our hike Jack blurted out “God is just so easy to know!” I was startled by this comment because I truly struggle to “know God.” Fulton Sheen once said that, “Ever since the days of Adam, Man has been hiding from God and saying, “God is hard to find.” I would definitely fall into this group, I often find myself hiding from God, and turning to distractions of the world: internet, television, wasting time on things which lead me away from God and the graces which he wishes to give me. Part of living life as a lay Dominican, I am called to spend time with God every day in prayer. One of the greatest ways I have deepened my relationship with God is by spending time with His word through Lectio Divina. Having time everyday in which the Lord has the opportunity to speak to me. I have found a book helpful which has meditations for the year of mercy, but even just taking 5 minutes a day to read the same passage every day for a week (you can even start with the upcoming gospel reading for Sunday), really helps to see how God is truly present in every moment of our lives, and to better understand where God is calling each of us. The most important part of Lectio Divina for me has been invoking the Holy Spirit before I begin to read the passage, to open my heart to hear what the Lord wants to speak to me. It is important for me to remember I cannot force a relationship with God, and just because I set aside time for prayer doesn’t automatically lead me to knowledge of God. For ultimately no matter how much time we spend in prayer to devote to God doesn’t help us get to know God; this knowledge can only be given to us by God himself, in his time. We must continually beg God for the grace to know him and know his love for us more deeply. In the scriptures God often calls us to have faith like children- I think this realization that we can do nothing without God’s help is a part of this childlike faith. We need to realize that we are all children of God, and need our Father’s love, forgiveness and grace. When we have faith in God all things are possible- Luke 18:27. I call all of you reading this post to ask yourself- Do you know God- Father, Son and Holy Spirit? If the answer is no, I would encourage you to call upon the Holy Spirit and with childlike faith to ask the Holy Spirit for the grace to know the Lord, for the grace to know him and confidently lead others to know him as well. You might also consider attending the discussion series at Phillip and James Sunday evenings on, “The Mystery of God: who he is and why he matters”.  These posts are to help you kick-start the week and find inspiration through the lives of the saints. There is a depth of value in which we can learn from their insight and reflections. We hope to share them with you so that we all live for God at work, with friends and with family.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, My spirit rejoices in God my Savior!  These posts are to help you kick-start the week and find inspiration through the lives of the saints. There is a depth of value in which we can learn from their insight and reflections. We hope to share them with you so that we all live for God at work, with friends and with family.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, My spirit rejoices in God my Savior!  Composed by: Sr. Petra Paula Jesus wept (Jn 11:35). This is one of the shortest verses in the Bible. What was happening? Why would Jesus cry? Martha and Mary had sent word to Him that their brother Lazarus was dying, but instead of rushing to them immediately, Jesus continued what he was doing. By the time He arrived, Lazarus had been buried for four days. The women were wailing, but this was not His response. Instead, Jesus shed quiet tears. Lazarus was His good friend and he and his sisters had entertained Jesus at their table, but now he lay in that tomb. As we know, Jesus used this opportunity to give glory to God and raised Lazarus from the dead. This is one of those examples where we see that Jesus is truly human. God does not cry but Jesus felt true human emotions while on earth. As St. Paul reminds us in Philippians, He “did not consider being equal to God a thing to be clung to, but emptied Himself, taking the nature of a slave and being made like unto men” (2:6-7). Jesus loved Lazarus, just as He loves all of us. On the Via Dolorosa, he told the women of Jerusalem not to weep for Him, but for their children. We are their children. We are living in a time of great sinfulness: We kill babies in the womb and hasten the end of older people whose lives may—or may not—be full of pain. We are apathetic about the welfare of others in our own communities. We live in relationships without benefit of marriage because “everyone does it.” We are removing God from public places because some find Him offensive! What are we thinking? Jesus wept for Lazarus and his sisters and He may be weeping for us even now and even more: for our selfishness, our pettiness, our pride, our lack of love and mercy in our own lives. We know from our studies that our dear Father St. Dominic cried for sinners. An article in Dominicana reminds us how Brother Jordan of Saxony, the second Master of the Order, explained this habit of St. Dominic:
In Lamentations, we read “Therefore do I weep and my eyes run down with water, because the Comforter, the relief of my soul, is far from me. My children are desolate because the enemy hath prevailed” (1:16). And further: “Yes, and when I cry and entreat, He has shut out my prayer” (3:8). As for St. Dominic, the article above continues: When we encounter the tears of our father Dominic, we are confronted with the reality that those who are closed to faith are lacking the possibility of true and lasting friendship with God, a friendship which requires filial trust and a loyal heart. Saint Dominic was brought to tears at the thought of a soul rejecting such a gift. In Dominic we see the beauty of a soul transfigured by faith, hope, and love in a state of fervent petition; more, we see a participation in the redemptive mission of Jesus Christ. We may also consider St. Peter, who after denying Christ three separate times, went out and wept bitter tears. He was one of the strongest of the Apostles and loved Jesus with all his heart, having followed Him and lived with Him and learned from Him directly—and yet, in his fear, in his weakness, he denied his best friend, his Savior. Imagine his joy when, after the Resurrection, and after three times telling Jesus he loved Him, Peter realized that Jesus had forgiven him! Not only was he forgiven, but Peter was put in charge of feeding the Lord’s sheep.
We do have hope. God does not leave us alone. In Revelation, when we read about the new heaven and the new earth, John writes about the voice from the throne saying, Behold the dwelling of God with men, and He will dwell with them. And they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. And death shall be no more; neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away (21:3-4). Tears are part of our humanity, part of the result of original sin from the fall. Because they can be cathartic, tears may help to strengthen us, no matter how wrung out we feel from the experience. It is comforting to have these examples of tears. It is human to feel weak and lost, but if we trust in God’s love and mercy, eventually we will have peace in our hearts. If we must continue to cry, so let us beg to follow in St. Dominic’s path and cry for the souls of sinners, including ourselves. Image: St. Dominic in Prayer, El Greco, date unknown |
Disclaimer: We hope that you enjoy the content of this website. We are all journeyers on the road toward heaven and these are some of our thoughts and ideas. None of us is a religious expert; we hope not to make any egregious errors, and we will try to be as accurate as possible.
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