Make your move toward God

By -

 

 




I find it fascinating to watch animals and how they move according to instincts. 

Although I must admit, I'm beginning to wonder about the instincts of squirrels. Why do they dart back and forth in front of a car until finally coming to a "decision" about which direction to go? 

We were out to a nature preserve one evening about dusk and we stopped our car to watch a deer standing beside the road. As we watched her watching us, we could tell that her wise instincts told her not to cross the road in front of us. 

We just sat there and waited her out, enjoying her beauty, and when it looked like we were not going to be a danger to her and her little ones, she decided it was safe to cross in front of us.

We've been watching a show on National Geographic about a baby lion cub growing up. Of course the narrator attaches human thoughts and emotions to every situation the cub and its mother finds itself in, but you can tell from the videos that a lion's instincts are truly amazing, from how they go after prey in order to survive, to how they seem to "comfort" each other when there is a death in the tribe.

What are your natural instincts? What about when it comes to faith, to God, or to having a Creator?

Are you like a squirrel running in every direction, unsure of the best way to go, or are you like a wise deer, observing what is around you, or are you like a lion who acts out of self-preservation.

In each and every one of us God has put an innate desire for him. The "Catechism of the Catholic Church" puts it this way in Paragraph 27:

"The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself. Only in God will he find the truth and happiness he never stops searching 
for . . ."

Drawing from the Second Vatican Council, we know that "this invitation to converse with God is addressed to man as he comes into being." (Gaudium et Spes, 19)

So there you have it. We all have within us a natural instinct to seek God. The problem is, too many of us dismiss or deny it.

But even when we do, it is still within us. When we try to deny the existence of God and his connection to us, it creates within us unresolved tension. 

What do YOU think it does to us when we try to live without recognizing this "intimate and vital link with God, or [to] have explicitly rejected it"? (GS, 19)

Reflect on the fact that you are created by God, and consider how knowing this can--and should--impact the decisions you make in regards to the direction you will go in life.

Whether you run frantically, dangerously, in every direction like a squirrel, or you stand in observance of what is around you before making a move, know that God who created you, made you magnificent and wants nothing more than to draw you to himself.

Make your move toward him today. 

Pray for peace, joy, and an end to war.

Janet Cassidy
Email me at:  jmctm2@gmail.com

janetcassidy.com
https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith/
https://www.youtube.com/@janetcassidy 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Memorare

By Helen Gonsalves -
Image
This popular prayer, a favorite of many Catholics, dates back to the 15th century and takes its name from the first Latin word of the prayer, "memorare," which means "remember." The Memorare is of unknown authorship, although it has been attributed to St. Augustine (354-430), St. John Chrysostom (c. 347-407) and, with more reason, to St. Bernard of Clairvaux (c. 1090-1153). St. Bernard's sermons on Mary were famous, and it was his Cistercian monks in the monastery of Citeaux in the 12th century who popularized the name "Our Lady" for Mary. The Memorare has also been attributed to the French cleric Claude Bernard (1588-1641), known as the "poor priest" of Paris, whose homilies contain passages that echo its words. No matter who wrote this prayer, it was Father Bernard who did much to popularize it, teaching it in hospitals and prisons, where Mary's intercession was effective in working miracles of grace. The first manuscript of the Mem...
Read more

Why Modesty Is Not Subjective

By -
Image
Hi there, ya'll!  The modest fashion world is one very diverse place.  Even among Catholics, the definition of "modest apparel" can vary greatly from person to person.  Recently I joined a Facebook group that advertised itself as a haven for Catholic women of all ages to share ideas for modest style and makeup and was hoping to learn more about modesty from my fellow Catholic sisters.  After a few days of being a member, though, I sadly left the group feeling a bit discouraged.  No two members seemed to agree on ANY aspect of modesty whatsoever, and the prevailing theme of the whole group was that modesty is subjective, it means something different for each woman and each woman gets to decide what she considers is "modest".  One woman very emphatically declared that she wears bikinis every summer to the beach and doesn't feel that this violates the virtue of modesty in the least.  The same woman also announced that she was never g...
Read more

SAINT ELIZABETH, MOTHER OF JOHN THE BAPTIST- Feast: November 5

By -
Image
Elizabeth appears in the Gospel of Luke, where she is described as “righteous in the eyes of God, observing all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly,”.  I imagine that she was warm, loving and obviously a safe harbour for young Mary, who was not married when she conceived.  When Mary came to visit her, Elizabeth was pregnant with St. John the Baptist and in her sixth month: “Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And how have I deserved that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, the moment that the sound of thy greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is she who has believed, because the things promised her by the Lord shall be accomplished.” 
Read more