Welcome, Lord!

By rosebud101 -
To invite God into our hearts to love and heal us is an act of Mercy, a gift from God, the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The invitiation is ours, but the gift is from God. This offer to come into our beings is not a request that God will refuse. He seeks us, but waits until we are ready, if ever. 

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  1. http://peacefulheartopenmind.blogspot.com/11:41 am, April 21, 2016

    I had given up going to church for awhile for a number of (what I felt) were very good reasons...The priest I liked so much had been transferred to another parish, a fellow parishioner that I admired had a bad experience in another church, etc. All of these were convenient excuses not to go to church. I never felt I had given up on my faith. I still prayed each day, read the Bible, shared my faith with others, etc....I just didn't attend Mass weekly. I wasn't angry at God, I was disappointed in my church. Did I think my abscence was a way to punish my church? The church did not do things the way I wanted them to so I picked up my marbles and went home in a huff never to return? A few months ago, a friend and neighbor passed away and my husband and I went to the wake and funeral to express our condolences at the family's loss. As I walked into the church, I noticed that although everything looked the same something was different. The church had gone on without me. There were posters and notices of meetings, children's catechism classes, bake sales, retreats and sign up sheets for various events. The church had not stopped because I was not there, it had gone on as always. That was disappointing. I secretly wanted to be missed so much that someone would come up to me and say something like, "Where have you been? We have missed you." But that didn't happen. My husband and I went in and sat in the pew. I bowed my head, made the sign of the cross and began my prayers. Then a feeling came over me, someone was looking at me. I looked around and saw no one paying anything but the slightest attention to me until I saw His face. He was staring at me from His place on the cross and I could swear I saw the beginnings of a smile on His lips. I smiled at Him and at that moment, in my heart, I heard Him say, "Where have you been? I have missed you." Right then and there I knew it was time to come home.

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