I find myself every once in a while to remind myself to listen.
Why?
Because the world is noisy.
But when you find that time to be silent, to be set apart from the world and really just sit and listen, the Lord will reveal so much to you. The prayer you have been praying really does get answered. You just need to be willing to listen. So this past week I have been really trying to just listen and the following are some reflections of what I experienced while listening.
These past few weeks I have been praying for many things. But I will touch upon 2 things that I have been specifically praying for in regards to my service to the Lord.
My love life and my family.
Last Friday I attended a wedding. I really enjoy wedding mass because the priest always has something awesome to say to inspire the groom and bride and give them hope for the future.
He said that everyone that to get married, everyone has to go through 3 different doors.
The first door is the Door of Loneliness.
When you walk through this door you realize that you are lonely without the other.
The second door is the Door Without A Name.
When you walk through this door, you see that you are facing an uncertain future. That whatever will be, will be. But because you have each other there is nothing to be afraid of because your decisions will be for the other and with the other.
The third door is the Door Without Condition.
As you walk through this door you realize that there are no conditions to love this other person, other than to just simply love.
Is this not the way we come to love the Lord? It is something that came to mind as the priest was preaching. Although this may have been directed to the soon-to-be married couple I couldn’t help but think that the Lord just wants me to focus on my relationship with Him and put everyone else in “the friend zone“. I have already been affirmed that I will be married one day but now is not the time for that.
If you put the things important to God first, He will take care of the things important to you.
And that’s what I’m going to do.
The following day I went to mass with my brother. For those who know me and my family they would know that it’s only recently that I started going to mass with my family. This mass was so awesome. The gospel reading was taken from Matthew 14: 22-33 but I was more focused on verses 27 and so on.
Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
“Come,” he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.
But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.
Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
The presiding priest is actually a bishop from a diocese in India and he came to do some mission work. His homily was all about mission and how ‘you and I have a mission. God has a plan that we should be the mission. You and I baked in the Holy spirit of Christ. God is purifying us everyday.’
Through out his homily he also preached that we need to be sensitive to the Lord when he speaks because sometimes ‘God whispers. Fight, don’t walk away.’
Lately my other prayer has been for my family. The thought of leaving my family to do mission work has something that I haven’t let go of until this day at mass. After mass I asked my brother if we could just stay for 5 minutes to just pray. So we both knelt and this woman in front of us turned around and started speaking to my brother. Then a little whisper stirred my heart.
“Don’t worry. I’ve got this.”
As soon as I heard this, I started to tear. I have never teared in a church before, but this day I felt like everything that was said was just for me. And everything I heard was just what I needed to hear. The Lord will provide for my family, I just need to have faith and trust in the Lord, that he will take care of my family. I just need to worry about my current responsibilities and commitments and allow God to put my life in order.
I will leave you all with this quote from the bishop of India and what he said at the end of his homily.
“The Good Lord is standing at your door, and knocking.
Let your light shine before others.
Pray with persistence, with thanksgiving, without ceasing.
Share, care, grow, love and live.”
And with that may God be praised.
