I attended a retreat a few weeks ago. During a
conference the priest mentioned that “joy” comes from knowing you are loved. I
had been feeling pretty “joyless”
lately so this topic peeked my interest. The priest went on to say that if we truly
believe God loves us for who we are right now with all of our flaws and
weaknesses, then we should have an inner perpetual joy. He suggested reflecting
on how children are full of joy which comes from knowing they are loved by
their parents.
There was my answer to why I have spent my adult
life without this perpetual joy. I can’t believe God can love me for who I am
right now. Once I am more holy, and I have overcome my sinfulness, and I am
closer to being perfect, then I can start believing I am loved. I also realized
I do not unconditionally love myself,
and only feel a fleeting joy when I have accomplished a temporal or spiritual
feat.
So once again I see how God has rescued me from
my skewed image of His love with my entrustment to my Blessed Mother. For I may
turn to her with this new awareness, and with her, WE can accept God’s love for
“who” I am now, instead of who I think I need to become. With her, WE can let go of my belief that I
have to earn my right to be joyful…and just be joyful!
"Mary is continually with you and takes care of
your integral development. In a special way, she takes care of your spiritual
growth. She is Mother and Teacher of
your interior life.
Her deepest desire is that Christ may grow in you in a way that there is no longer any place in your heart for yourself but only for Him and for His will.
Her deepest desire is that Christ may grow in you in a way that there is no longer any place in your heart for yourself but only for Him and for His will.
The most important element is your openness to
the love of God – the attitude of abandonment, simplicity, and the humility of
an evangelical child."
S.C. Biela, In The Arms of Mary, 2nd. ed, rev. (Ft.Collins, CO: IAMF, 2005), 169.
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