Posted by Janine on October 22, 1999 at 14:34:01:
One of the essential facts of life is becoming aware and living with an emptiness, void, "longing", missing piece, not quite finding our way "home"
here on earth...
This loneliness and longing is for "God"; and perhaps God put it there in the first place to call us to "God's Self" within us...
What does St. Augustine say? "Our hearts are made for you O Lord, and they will not rest until they rest in you."...?
Kenneth Leech wrote:
"True love means not trying to escape from ourselves, but listening to the voices within us... This involves the acceptance of our fundamental aloneness, not seeking to reduce it, not hoping that friendship, marriage, community, or group, will take it away. That aloneness is an integral part of being human, and an essential element of love. It is out of that
aloneness that it becomes possible to respond rather than to mearly react to people and needs. Response has to grow and energe out of the depths of myself: it is my response, born out of my inner struggle and inner
self-knowledge, out of my spirit, my deepest core. This is what spirituality is about."
[Kenneth Leech. True Prayer: An Intro to Christian Spirituality. London Sheldon Press. 1980.]
<><
The great thing about being alone and knowing that we are essentially all "alone" deep within.. is that we can acknowledge that it exists in one another... There is communion of spirit in this (thus the relief when
others say they are praying with us, or that they are near to us - they also recognize this longing, ache in our hearts, "hole" in our soul)...... and we as
Christians can come to grow and realize that there is only One who can fill this emptiness... and only hope that this will happen ... But we can notice
this, and with it, grow in compassion, love, and peace with others.
Isaiah writes:
"Do not be afraid, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name, you are mine.
Should you pass through the sea,
I will be there with you;
or through rivers, they will not swallow you up.
Should you walk through fire, you will not be scorched
and the flames will not burn you...
You are precious in my eyes... I love you...
Donot be afrid, for I am with you."
(Is. 43:2-3).
Every Blessing to you today,
Janine <><
PS A great book to read
(& most of the insights I have in the above message)
is _Praying Our Goodbyes_ by Joyce Rupp, osm.
Ave Maria Press, Notre Dame, IN. 1988