ALPHA for Catholics: a personal story
The Desire For God is Written in the Human Heart
Photo By: Flickr/Karl-Ludwig Poggemann
The Desire in Our Hearts for God
The Catechism of the Catholic articulates man’s desire for God:
“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:
The dignity of man rests above all on the fact that he is called to communion with God. This invitation to converse with God is addressed to man as soon as he comes into being. For if man exists it is because God has created him through love, and through love continue to hold him in existence. He cannot live fully according to the truth unless he freely acknowledges that love and entrusts himself to his creator CCC 27.
Finding Faith Inside Our Hearts
God is much bigger and greater than we can fathom. Our faith is much bigger, too. God has placed a desire for Him within our minds and hearts from the beginning. The business of life in today’s world seems to create a huge puzzle which seems difficult to “figure out”. Faith then begins to seem far-away and hard to grasp. Since our Lord knows us so well, the desire for Him is placed deep in our hearts. If we take a few moments in silence we may find that desire. I believe finding the Lord’s presence within our hearts is a moment to moment awareness through prayer and through the Holy Spirit. The Sacraments of our faith are the key.
Conversing with God
“This invitation to converse with God is addressed to man as soon as he comes into being” CCC 27
As soon as we “come into being” the Lord is by our sides and within us. He created us, and He loves us immensely. It is God’s desire to stay with us on the journey through our lives. He desires our happiness and our peace. Confusion and discord are found only in the world but not in God. When we find ourselves alone and unhappy in life, we can count on Jesus to stay with us in the difficulties.
I think as we age and look back on our lives most of us can recognize the ways in which our Lord has provided for us. Yes, there are hard times. But our faith and belief in “the good” will always outweigh the bad. God’s invitation to communion with Him starts at the beginning of our lives. His Presence remains unless we purposely walk away from Him through sin and through rejection without repentance. Our conversation with God in daily life is the path we walk toward Heaven. The Church as our gift.
Love
As we converse with the Lord through our daily prayer and through the Sacraments, we will find the warmth of His love. Love is not so much a feeling but the experience of God’s own sacrifice for us. His sacrifice for us is the gift of His own Son Jesus. When we observe the sacrificial people in our own lives who die daily for us; it gives us a taste of Jesus’ love for us. Viewing life through this lens will help us experience this love in a greater way. These experiences will enrich our souls to know the truth about love, sacrifice and eternity.
Acknowledging God’s Love to be Free
Freedom can be found in the acknowledgment of God’s love and Jesus presence in our lives. We will then find the truth of life. God wishes this for us. He wants the very best for our souls for all eternity. We will also find all the other virtues of our faith including joy, peace, and hope. Greatest of all is the love we experience. As we surrender everything to Our Savior, we will be set free.
We will experience the freedom of Christ’s love as we pray and reflect. All those around us will begin to have this awareness through the gift of our faith toward the world. This will happen because God’s love has a ripple effect. Love is the strongest force imaginable. Even when we experience sad and painful times in life, our faith will shine forth to others. The light in the darkness will make a huge impact on today’s world.
Bringing Forth the Desire for God to the World
As we live this love, it is our hope to make a positive effect on the world. It starts at home and in small ways. These “small ways” are actually very big. As we live the virtues of our faith, pray, live the Sacraments and trust God, the Holy Spirit will act. This is where we must silence ourselves enough to let God do the work. As we desire Him more, others will begin to as well. They will see the love we have for God. They will begin to follow along with us toward Heaven. May we trust Our Lord and Our Lady in this journey. We pray to have a continued desire for Him.
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About the Author
Anne DeSantis, MA Theology, is the author of the book Love and Care for the Marginalized, 40 Meditations for Catholics. She is a wife, mother, podcast host, and the Executive Director for the St. Raymond Nonnatus Foundation at Nonnatus.org. Learn more about Anne at Anne DeSantis.com.
