Author: Hannah Marie Roca

“Although the God within, appears to be divided, He is never divided. He is situated as one.”

“For there are three that bear witness in heaven, the Father , the Word, and the Holy Spirit: and there three are one.”

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, The Lord is one.”

 This idea that God is one has been resonating in my spiritual life, academic life, and my personal life in the past 2-3 years. The notion that God is one can seem so simple but yet so complex. The notion that God is one can seem so obvious but yet so abstract. The notion that God is one can seem so Monotheistic but yet so Polytheistic.

 

God is One.

I was compelled simply by the word “One”.

Say it, on its own.

 “One”

 This word, for some reason, is so FULL, so DRAMATIC, so WHOLESOME! I would lay on my bed and repeat “One” as I thought of God. Just saying the word on its own stirs up so much thought, so much emotion, and so much feeling. How can something so small can appear so big? How can something that is singular can be felt infinitely. This idea then compelled me to define the word “One” in order to encompass the essence of what this word entails. According to the Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, “one” was defined as:

1. being a single unit or thing
2. being the same in kind or quality
3. constituting a unified entity of two or more components
4. being in agreement or union

As I reflected on these definitions, I realized that, being a single unit or of being the same kind or quality needs to be first constituted of many things in order for it to be in union or in agreement. Basically, in order for something to be “One” it must first consist of something or of many things. The idea of “One” would not exist if the idea of “Many” was not established. How would we be able to distinguish “One” from the others if “Many” did not exist? How would we be able to value the Greatness of God, if the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit did not exist? How would we be able to appreciate the union of a family, if the father, mother, brother, or sister did not exist? How would we be able to acknowledge the whole beauty of creation, if the land, the water, the birds, the trees, the flowers, and the bees did not exist? How would we be able to worship God if

Christianity,

 “For there are three that bear witness in heaven, the Father , the Word, and the Holy Spirit: and there three are ONE.” 1 John 5:7

Judaism,

 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, The Lord is ONE.” Deuteronomy 6:4-9

or

Hinduism,

“Although the God within, appears to be divided, He is never divided. He is situated as ONE.” Bhagavad Gita chap. 13, verse 17

 did not exist?

 How would we be able to experience God’s ONENESS if His INFINITY did not exist?

God is One.

God is Infinite.

 Let His Oneness resonate within us infinitely.

 Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is… A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness. They have lived a sheltered life by always giving in.” – C.S. Lewis

This quote by C.S. Lewis has always been a go to reminder for me and an eye opener as to what kind of life and mentality we should carry as people of God who are bombarded and surrounded by temptations everyday. God has called us to be people of deep “awareness” and “sensitivity”. To be constantly aware of our actions, our emotions, and our intentions. He does not want us to avoid temptation, but to acknowledge it. He has not called us to be passive in our decisions and our actions..to just give in to our temptations at the mere second we feel that we can no longer resist. No, our God deserves and requires more from us! He has called us to be active and fully conscious of our actions and to be accountable for them. Justifying our wrongdoings only opens doors to more temptations. Justifying our flawed actions denies the Greatness that our God truly deserves. Justifying our flaws only drags us deeper into sin and instills pride, it acknowledges that we are better than God which in turn denies the sacredness of God. Our God only deserves the best, he does not call us to be weak but He calls us to be STRONG for HIM.

This quote is fitting for the season of Lent, where we are called to sacrifice and fast what is most tempting to us and what we have become a slave to (whether is be sweets, wreck-less spending, gaming, etc…)  and to replace that hole with God. This season calls us to be aware and acknowledge our temptations and lift them up by emptying ourselves of these hindrances and filling ourselves up with the grace of God. Yes, we fall…but this shouldn’t be an excuse and we shouldn’t justify our fall. Instead we should RECTIFY our actions and reminds ourselves that “ God deserves ALL of ME!”  The sacrifice and fasting that we are offering up to God is a speck compared to the cross that our Lord had to bare. From the above quote “A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie” because Saints have lived through temptations. And so can we!

 Temptation is strong, but we are be stronger!

Our Mama Mary affirms us:

If you carry your cross impatiently, you only make it heavier, and add evil to evil.

The way of the cross is the way to heaven. That is why all saints have travelled it. 

– The Imitation of Mary

 

“Who can teach me what is most pleasing to God so that I can do it?”
– Saint Kateri Tekakwitha

(For some reason, the past two weeks The Lord has been speaking to me in poem and in song. I am not a poet, nor a song writer…But His words were so strong and so I decided to share with you what He has been whispering to me.)

God’s plan is perfect
All words
All thoughts
Literally
All things
Are a part of it.
Everything.

Every encounter
Every action
Every syllable
Is a clue,
A glue
To the craft
To the Masterpiece
He is taking you

I am telling you this
Sharing this with you
Because I have witnessed
A revelation to His Almighty Greatness

12 years ago
I was introduced to a lady
That little did I know
Would influence
And play a role in the essence
Of my life

Saint Kateri Tekakwitha
The advocate of nature
The lover of the environment, ecology, and trees.
I love trees!
And this is simply what God is calling me to be
To love the trees
The trees that have grounded their roots
The roots
That are rooted in this land
His Land

Who would have known
That 12 years later
The Lord would ask me to serve
Her People
Mohawk alike
His People
God’s children alike
The people of this land

So, as I stood there in awe
Speechless
Fearless
Filled with The Spirit
I couldn’t deny the overwhelming Presence
Of her
Invisible spirit
That at that very moment
Became visible
In all who carry her
Embody her
And all who glorify Him through her

His Holy Presence
Her presence
My presence
Their presence
An affirmation
Of all the clues
Of all the times
Of all the moments
That now became the glue
And allowed me to see where I am
And where I am meant to be

Isaiah chapter 9 verse 3
The Lord revealed to me
” You have enlarged the nation
and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you”
The Lord has definitely enlarged the nation
The nation that He has called us
To hold
To mold
To claim
And to sustain
His land.
Their land.

Thank you Lord!
You continue to
Bless me and
To test me
And I
Will continue
To stay true to the mission
That you have bestowed upon me

Make me your instrument.

Use me.

Amen 🙂

God calls us to be detached, but attached to Him.

Expecting, voids the trust in God’s plan.

We tend to seek comfort in others or in material things when we struggle or when we are challenged. I keep telling myself that I am not attached to the material world and if something got stolen it would not phase me, because I am not attached to those objects. However, I realized that I was attached to something else and this attachment may be a hindrance to loving God fully. The attachment to others and the feelings of comfort we expect from them.

How many times do we run to a family member for support and guidance when we are distressed and become disappointed when they can’t?
How many times do we ask a friend for advice or need them to be there when we need, but when they can’t we become upset?

But when we dwell on the fact that they, (our family, friends, significant others) are unable to follow through and we become upset, we forget who we should have turned to first; God. Our family, friends, and significant others are gifts from God…and when we do not turn to God first we sometimes forget that they are gifts and we become fixated on the negative emotions. But God does not want this for us!

In reflecting upon this I recognize that I am guilty of this countless of times and realize how ‘affectionate’ our God really is! How He wants me to turn to him first, to run to Him when I am in need. Being in mission reminds us that, it is truly you and God in the end. Away from all things, away from all friends and family…this is where God draws us even closer and where we are able to bring Him tighter.

Mission work is creating intimacy with God. When I am in mission it is the most personal you become with God, the most real. It is when we are real when we are able to fully be aware of Gods love for us. God wants us to fall for Him and to seek comfort in Him…to fall in love with Him.

I am falling more in love with The Lord each day.

“I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me” (Proverbs 8:17)