DEAR STRUGGLING CHURCH
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September 30, 2021DEAR STRUGGLING CHURCH
Herein lies a message of hope and encouragement.
God is consumed with love for you, no matter who you are; or what you have or haven’t done.
Question is, do we desire to receive His love?... And, if so, we must make room for it; get rid of anything in our life that is an obstacle, that blocks us from His Divine Love and Truth.
Oftentimes we, as frail creatures, think we know who God is; and think we are disposing ourselves to His love and truth. But, it is relative love and truth, of our own limited human understanding. And, if we are choosing to remain on this level, we are choosing ourselves and our own way of thinking over God’s.
A practical example of this would be, one who is in a relationship with another in a sexual way outside of God’s commandments and teachings; and, believing that it must be ok and of God, because “I’m happy;” or because, “I’m satisfied” in certain ways.
This is an example of becoming our own god.
JESUS, ONLY MEDIATOR
Jesus came to show us the way to receive our inheritance as God’s children, and live in His Kingdom here on earth, and for all eternity. Jesus is the one and only Mediator between us and our Heavenly Father. Thus, to choose to live for God and for Heaven, we must choose to live with and for Jesus.
We must spend our lives getting to know and love Him, no matter what our vocation. This is the purpose of every Christian.
And, we come to know Him through Scripture, and Sacred Tradition, which have been passed down to us from His first apostles and disciples.
This means that we should strive to live the Sacramental life of the Church wholeheartedly, as a primary aid in growing in the fullness of who we were created to be. Anything else is selling ourselves short of the glory and grace of our calling.
IN THE WOMB OF GOD’S LOVE
As Christians we are called to rest in the womb of God’s Love, by resting in the womb of Mother Church. Every time we enter a Church, it can be symbolic of entering into God’s womb of love, to be nurtured, nourished and cradled, as we are being formed into “other Christs.”
Some will say, “but how are we to experience love and nourishment in a church so corrupt, with so much sin and human limitation? And, it is in the answer to this that the secret lies. When we enter into a church, are we primarily seeking to find God in other human creatures, such as Bishops, Priests, religious and lay faithful? Or, are we seeking to find God in His True Presence in our midst, in the Most Blessed Sacrament; and to a lesser but still great degree, in all the other Sacraments of the Church?
To further expound on this “secret,” it is true, we could not come to a genuine trust and security in the love of God if we were to see His teachings and actions as lacking and impure (containing “dross”).
MARY, ONLY MEDIATRIX
Hence, we must tap into the love and truth of the “Spotless” Church (Rev. 21) that Christ established, which can only be found in the Heart of His Mother.
This is why St. Francis spoke of Mary as “the Virgin-made Church.” Only in the Heart of Mary is protected the fullness of the doctrine of faith passed down from Christ. And, this is why Jesus tells us clearly, “behold your Mother!” (Jn 19:27)) before dying.
Only by entering the womb of Mary, as we enter the womb of Mother Church, are we able to be nurtured and nourished in a secure, trusting way, where we can rest and receive as a child and as a bride.
Anything else is lacking, and can cause one hurt, scandal, and to stray from the true teachings of Christ.
Can we see the “writing on the wall” of what is happening in our times? The majority of us have not heard clearly our Lord’s voice, our Mother’s voice.
Again and again the Vicars of Christ (in particular Pope St. John Paul II) have encouraged us to Consecration to Mary, and to Jesus through her. Again and again our Mother has appeared to try to foster devotion to her Immaculate Heart (in particular at Fatima). But many have not had “ears to hear”; being too caught up in their own way of thinking and seeing (in particular many Bishops, Priests and Religious).
“BEHOLD YOUR MOTHER!”
Our hope lies in recognizing this truth, and in responding to the call to “behold your Mother!”
As Christians, seeking to live the Sacramental life of the Church, we can be “so close, and yet so far away” if we do not recognize the key role that Mary plays as Mother of the Church, and our personal spiritual Mother.
Oh, but if we do… watch out for the VOLT that flows to us from the Holy Spirit as we tap into the “powerline” to God’s Kingdom of love and of grace.
“Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a severe hailstorm.
“A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth” (Rev 11:19; 12:1,2).
+Holy Mother, thank you for drawing us to Christ, to our Triune God! As I surrender to you the whole of my life, may you truly be my spiritual Mother; taking all my problems, concerns and sufferings into your heart, as I invite you into mine; that I may be free as a child to trust, to rest, and to receive the great love God has for me!+
--"To Our Divine Eucharistic Bridegroom, through Our Immaculate Mother!"
