Daily Reflection – 5/20/19
Sacred Scripture
Jesus said to his disciples: “Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him.” Judas, not the Iscariot, said to him, “Master, then what happened that you will reveal yourself to us and not to the world?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me. I have told you this while I am with you. The Advocate, the holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name– he will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.” (John 14: 21-26)
Reflection
“Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.”
Have you ever noticed that children seem to get it? They seem to understand that God dwells in their hearts. Of course, if you asked them how they know this they may look at you with a confused look and not know how to respond. But, nonetheless, somehow, they do understand that God dwells within them.
So what would you say if someone asked you, “How do you know that God comes and makes His dwelling within you?” Perhaps you also may be at a loss for words to describe this incredible mystery of our faith. Do you believe this to be true? That God wants to make your heart and soul His dwelling place? If so, how does this happen?
By the gift of faith! We, like little children, just know that God wants to dwell within us. We know that He wants to possess our souls, speak to us, strengthen us, lead us and guide us. We know, by the gift of faith, that God is real and desires the deepest and most intimate relationship with us. We just know.
The good news is that faith leads to understanding. This means that the more we are attentive to the voice of God speaking within us, leading and guiding us, the more we begin to understand His indwelling presence. As St. Augustine said, “Faith is to believe what you do not see. The reward of faith is to see what you believe.” Faith in God’s indwelling presence leads us to the answer of the question above. The answer is one that God and God alone can give to us. We can share our faith with others, give witness to His presence in our lives, and give those around us the answer to that question through faith. If the word is everywhere, it belongs to everyone. By its nature it must be shared or it dies. Just as the Father’s word, as Jesus said, “is not mine” but is “to instruct you in everything,” so the word we receive in our hearts must continuously flow through us to inspire new life in others.
How do I know God dwells within me? The answer: Because I see Him there, I speak to Him there, and He speaks to me
Prayer of The Day
Lord, come live in my heart. Make my heart Your dwelling place. Help me to see You there, to meet You there, to converse with You and to love You in my soul.
Daily Note
Reflect, today, upon the Lord living within you. Let Him speak to you and, in that ever-deepening conversation, allow His Indwelling Presence to grow and to become manifest to others. God wants to not only dwell within you, He also wants to shine through you.
This is so encouraging ! Thanks for posting.
Thank you Sally. We all get tone deaf. Its good to remind ourselves that He always listens.