I learned that the Lord never reveals Himself to someone without giving them a mission. He revealed Himself to Abraham and told him to leave his country (among many other things). The Lord revealed Himself to Moses in a burning bush and told him to go back to free the Israelites. He revealed Himself to Isaiah to begin his duties as a prophet. The Lord revealed Himself to Mary to bear the Son of God. He reveals with a purpose. He commissions.
My last reflections have really lead me to this one. If God is always with us, revealing Himself to us, then He is, without a doubt, asking us to do something. Scratch that. He’s not asking us. He’s telling us. And if He’s telling us to do something, what’s really stopping us?
Pride? Envy? Anger? Sloth? Greed? Gluttony? Lust? All of the above. And as much as pride is the root of it all, I learned that pride derives from fear. A fear that God is someone who is dangerous, who limits our freedom. A fear that makes us think that His ways interfere with our ways. This fear stops us in our tracks, makes us hesitate, makes us doubt. These deadly sins are a mountain, one built on top of another.
Thank God for the Sacraments. Thank God for the heavenly virtues. Thank God for humility, kindness, patience, diligence, charity, temperance, chastity. Thank God for multiple chances. Thank God for not giving up on us. Choosing to to accept God’s grace and to grow in virtue will help us hear and carry out what the Lord commissions us to do.
There is no need to fear Love.