You can hear God Calling
The connection between creature and creator is never distant. God has a vested interest in us and is committed to our welfare. God’s greatest investment in us is Jesus. A prayer God taught St Gertrude puts a powerful perspective on the role Jesus plays in saving us:
Eternal Father. I offer Thee the most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with all the Masses being said this day throughout the world for all the holy souls in Purgatory. Amen.
This is one beautiful prayer I take seriously. I repeat it three times every morning. It is a good reminder of the direction of our lives and the ultimate end we will enjoy. But we do not normally spend our time contemplating the meaning of death.
St Ambrose said, “God did not will death in the beginning; he gave it rather as a healing medicine. For once man was condemned to lasting toil for his sins, his life became wretched; there had to be an end to the misery so that death might restore man’s original condition [immortal life].”
Knowing all this, we can now enjoy a much happier and relaxed approach to living and enjoying God’s gifts, Creator to creature. I am reminded of a Neil Diamond Song “And the grass won’t pay no mind” which echoes the joy and beauty of living in love and in nature.
Listen easy
You can hear God callin'
Walking barefoot by a stream
Eden is around us in nature’s beauty daily.
Come unto me
Your hair softly fallin'
On my face as in a dream
And the time will be our time
God gives us the gift of love in spouse and family and relatives.
How many wonderful years we enjoy God’s gifts!
My lips touch you
With their soft wet kisses
Your hands gentle in reply
And the time will be our time
I have had fifty-two years of marriage with a wonderful partner. Four children and nine grandchildren later we can appreciate the blessings. And always God’s love is there. And the moment we live in is now, the song continues.
God is close. When we drive down a highway and green fields surround us on a sunny day, we can feel really close to the Creator. And the time will be our time, the song says. And the grass won’t pay no mind.
Life isn’t always easy. Tough times bring us to our knees. “I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning.” (Lamentations 3:20-23).
“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” (Galatians 5:22-23).
“God showed how much He loved us by sending His one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through Him. This is real love — not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.” (1 John 4:9-11).
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