I was sitting in my recliner this evening rocking little Joseph to sleep. He is two and a half months old and has just started to interact with me with large smiles and precious coos. Before this point, he pretty much just slept or cried. Heavy on the crying. But there is something so amazing about a little baby. Even though he doesn’t “do” anything “worthy” of being loved by the world’s standards, my love for him is completely unconditional. I love him regardless of what he gives me in return. I can’t resist kissing those chubby little cheeks or snuggling him close and smelling his sweet baby
As I was holding him tonight, in that rare moment, the rest of the normally crazy house was completely quiet. I thought of how I could hold him and stare down at him, madly in love, forever if I could. I gently rocked him, and he peacefully slept, completely content laying in my arms.
Do you think this is how God feels about us? Do we need to prove our worthiness by busily chalking up good things for the Kingdom, or impressing our friends with our bible trivia? I’m asking for a friend… 😉 Is that really more important than quietly resting in the arms of our magnificent God who created the vast heavens and the brilliant planet we call the earth?
What kind of God is this, that He would allow his mere creatures to come so close?
The angels cover their faces at His glory, and scripture says that every knee shall bow at the very sound of His name. Yet He actually delights in us, despite our lowliness. He waits for us to come spend time with Him. What a gift we Catholics have that we get to receive Him in the Holy Eucharist. It is not a metaphor to say that Christ lives within me!
One of my favorite stories is when St. John Vianney asked a poor, illiterate man what he did every day while he sat in front of the Blessed Sacrament. The humble gentleman replied, “I look at Him, and He looks at me.”
Not all of us get the opportunity to get to daily mass, or adoration, or to pop into church for a few minutes to “Say hi to Jesus”, like my mom used to say. But we all NEED to find time to rest in Jesus’ love. We all live busy lives, yet find time to check off the important things on our to-do lists. Sitting in silence with Our Lord should sit at the very top of our beloved list. Even if we can only spare 5 precious minutes between diaper changes and math lessons, those 5 minutes are worth so much more than we can possibly imagine.
I pray that you listen to Christ’s invitation to rest quietly in His arms, and let Him love you. You don’t have to do anything but look at Him while He looks at you.
Until next time my dear friends- your sister in Christ,
-Leah