Lectio
“For this is the natural yearnings of the soul, by the touching of the Holy Ghost as by the understanding that I have in this Shewing: God, of Thy Goodness, give me Thyself: for Thou art enough to me, and I may nothing ask that is less that may be full worship to Thee; and if I ask anything that is less, ever me wanteth,—but only in Thee I have all.”
— Julian of Norwich, Revelations of Divine Love
Meditatio
Neither time nor place stands between us and God. The only distance is a “no,” which is to say, a defiance, a doubt, a denial, a betrayal. God is with us. The Father spoke to His people and led them out of bondage. His Son walked among us in the flesh. His Spirit lives inside us, breathed into us in baptism. And everything we see, feel, hear, taste, and touch is His gift to us, His love poured out in and as our existence.
Creation itself points us to God. Nothing here made itself, not the beauty, not the bounty, not the wonder. All of it is received, moment by moment, from a Source who is not one more thing among things. The air we breathe in and out with the trees around us, the food and water that sustain our bodies, and even our bodies themselves, made for giving and receiving, all of it speaks of a loving intelligence who desires life for us and who gives us the very life that is Himself.
What we want, then, is not more than what God gives, but all too often less. In giving us Himself, God gives us everything, and although our hearts long most deeply for what only He can provide, we are tempted to settle for less than Him. Our wandering minds are caught by what He has created, gifts meant to point us toward the Creator, and we mistake them for an end in themselves.
Providentially, nothing less than God can quiet our yearning for Him, even when we cannot name it. Tragically, we often do not realize this until we have settled for less. Yet the Holy Spirit, who indwells us, is at work, tugging gently at our hearts, pulling us out of our self-absorbed myopia, widening our gaze and broadening our hopes, softening our “no” even in the midst of our shouting. And as our “no” softens, the yearning does not fade but deepens, drawing us from taking less than God for all there is toward receiving, fully and forever through Christ, the God who is all for us.
Oratio
Show Me Your Face
show me Your face
in all of creation
yet though I am torn
do not allow me to stay
lest I feel too at home here
within Your creation
mistaking the Maker
for what the Maker has made
let my heart abide
in the Font of creation
giving me all that I need
on this day
there is nought else but You
behind or before me
for whom my heart
yearns in this way
Contemplatio
Let your wandering mind wander, and let it be held. Whatever has caught your attention is a gift, and behind the gift the Giver is already giving Himself. Be still, and consent to His being enough.
Related Scripture
“For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which I prefer. I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you.”
— Philippians 1:21-24 (NRSVCE)
For Further Reading
If you enjoyed this post, you may also like The Door We Close Ourselves: Fr. Mike Schmitz and the Love That Never Leaves (Lectio Divina), which meets the same “no” from the other side, asking what it means that God’s love never leaves us while we remain free to refuse it.
Robert Van Valkenburgh
Grappling With Divinity.
Wrestling With God.
Returning To Love.
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