Spirituality for Beginners

Fr. Bede's almost-daily reflections. When it comes to the spiritual life, we're all beginners. I also send these out by email. Contact me at bcamera@anselm.edu. God bless!





Sunday, September 27, 2015

Getting access to your desire for God

. . . continuing our discussion of the notion that “the desire for God is written in the human heart” from the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

There are times in our lives or in our days when we lose contact with this desire for God, particularly when we are busy with the stuff of life and with matters that have little to do with the human spirit.
This is a natural condition; after all, we are not yet brought to the fullness of perfection and union with God—but we are on our way, and it is good to have “tools” to help us stay in touch with our greater destiny.

The Psalms are very helpful in this regard, and I call your attention to Psalm 63 in particular. By praying this psalm and meditating on it, we can deepen our own access to the desire for God. In fact, I encourage you to memorize it over the days to come.

O God, you are my God, for you I long;
for you my soul is thirsting.
My body pines for you
like a dry, weary land without water.
So I gaze on you in the sanctuary
to see your strength and your glory.

For your love is better than life,
my lips will speak your praise.
So I will bless you all my life,
in your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul shall be filled as with a banquet,
my mouth shall praise you with joy.    (The Grail translation)

Absorb these lines. Let them become so much a part of you that they will arise in your mind or on your lips automatically, and at times when you need a gentle reminder about who you really are.



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