Help
With Your Rule
Ask Whatever You Will, and It Shall be Done...
"When God is loved, He very readily answers the requests of His lover. This He teaches through St John: If you abide in Me, ask whatever you desire and it shall be done unto you.[John 15:7] A person can truthfully call God Beloved when he is wholly with Him, does not allow his heart attachment to anything outside of Him, and thereby ordinarily centers his mind on Him... Some call the Bridegroom beloved, whereas He is not really their beloved because their heart is not set on Him... They do not obtain their request until through perseverance in prayer they keep their spirit more continually with God and their heart with its affectionate love more entirely set on HIm. Nothing is obtained from God except by love."
John of the Cross in "The Spiritual Canticle", in "The Collected Works of St John of the Cross, Trans. K. Kavanaugh & O. Rodrigues, ICS Publications, Washington D.C. 1979, p421
posted by Holly at 10:38 PM
4 Comments:
The Gospel promise is not hollow - God means it: When we live in Him, He answers our heart's desires and heeds our requests.
Mother Teresa, when she gave up all to live in the slums of Calcutta and live as the poorest of the poor live - she abided in Christ. When she had needs, she asked Jesus and he sent things - food, lodging - whatever she needed.
Mother Teresa''s heart was bonded to God, not her wallpaper, or newest outfit, or her new slowcooker recipe.
We as mothers cannot permit a misunderstanding of our vocation to keep us from union with God. Yes, we have many things to do and much preoccupation with worldly stuff. But our hearts need not be bonded to these things. Our hearts must be focused on God, and have HIM as our main attraction, aim and intent throughout our day.
It is not impossible. In fact, it is mean to be the Gospel norm. Why do so many of us as moms not heed this? Not believe this? Why do we see two standards for holiness - real holiness and then mom ordinariness? There is no such split in Christian callings.
Mother Teresa's job - to care for the poor, to arrange for food, to educate poor children, to wash the sores of the ill and dying - none of this is any less difficult than our own 'so-called worldly' daily duties. If Mother Teresa could focus all on God - and vow never to refuse Him anything whatsoever - so can we.
I believe we are called to this - because we are called to say to Jesus "My Beloved" and to have this affectionate title be true, in meaning and practice. Even as moms, we too are called to be the Spouses of Christ.
This is something for me to give some real thought and work on. One of the things I struggle with is 'compartmentalizing' my life/day. I went back to work for 3 weeks after my first DD was born 6 years ago until my DH started his new job so he and my mom took care of her while I was at work. I had a terrible time not thinking about her when I was at work and now that I work at home, I have a really hard time not thinking about work (housework/income) when I am with my DH or kids, supposedly relaxing. My DH and I frequently discuss how I am so 'Martha-like' in my outlook and one of the readings I did this morning, talked about how Mary, the Mother of God, is a perfect model of the attentiveness to practical things like Martha and concern for the spiritual of Mary of Bethany. It is certainly possible to have a balance of both aspects. As I go through my day, I often get so wrapped up in what I'm doing, I 'forget' to pray and ask for God's help in whatever I'm doing at the moment. More and more, it seems I'm being shown how I just cannot do everything I set out to without God's help and grace (think loaves and fishes) and yet I just can't seem to remember to pray for help. I'm praying now for God to help me to remember to pray throughout the day. Funny how I'm able to effectively keep this component from entering my thoughts as insistently as the distractions do.
Somehow, it falls under the category of heart-intent. I believe that this is something the Lord can and will do for you. I believe that prayers to this end would produce the recollection you desire. I don't think He could refuse a woman asking to think about him more...
Also, perhaps also a trimming down of commitments - to make a straight path for the Lord - might help? Too many commitments are like too much noise - it is hard to hear the still small voice of the Spirit amidst the din.
Dear Holly,
Thank you for your insight and comments. DH has offered to help with some of the housework since I'm helping out with income right now. I'm trying to work out what is truly necessary and in some ways let my 'standards' of a showroom house go. Since we live here, work here and school here, most days and most of the time it is going to have a 'lived' in look, especially while the children are young.
I definitely need to work on listening for the voice of the Spirit and focusing on what I am getting done and not comparing myself to others.
Post a Comment
<< Home