Monday, July 12, 2010

Under the spotlight- stunted souls

Every person was made to live in God's spotlight. A one on one relationship with the Lord of all that is. Unique, because every person is different and expresses different aspects of God's goodness. He doesn't compare his children because no two are alike. We were each created to live in his light.  As children, this "holy bubble" surrounds us and the indwelling of the Trinity is a natural part of our existence. It does not feel foreign to us at all, there is a close unity that exists between God and children despite the fallen nature of the human race. Children are humble and their mistakes are no obstacle to a God of love. Many people can probably remember this constant "support" by God if they think back to their childhood. We were meant to lean on God our entire lives and if life progressed as it was meant to, a human soul would be ready for heaven when God called it. Souls would grow as they were meant to and all would understand the love in which they were held.

So what happened? Why are souls so stunted these days?

It is likely a confluence of many things in the world today. We fail to nourish the soul and instead focus on the physical to the point where the spirit "shrivels" from neglect. We lose our inner vision  Our spiritual well being is so neglected that most of us were taught that it is okay to constantly give in to the yearnings and whims of the flesh. We are bombarded by "experts" who say that denying oneself is unhealthy and even harms the human psyche, but the truth is... we gratify the senses to the detriment of our souls. And our souls are crying out in anguish. Our physical bodies become dust (eventually) but our souls live forever and this, too, we have lost sight of. A good remedy for this imbalance would be fasting from many of the worldly things that vie for our attention. I don't mean food specifically, (though this is good) but all the myriad "not God" stuff that grabs our attention and makes us forget that we are more than physical beings. Perhaps if we draw our minds away from the "junk food" we are constantly being fed we would become more aware of the constant call that echoes in our hearts. If we ask God to govern our hearts, minds, bodies, and souls....He surely will.

Abba, set our hearts on fire for you. Free us from the sins of the flesh so that we may hear you more clearly. Take our focus off the world and place it on you. I ask this through Jesus Christ. Amen.

11 comments:

  1. Mary, this is so beautiful! I love your prayer!

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  2. Mary,
    Great post! Junk food of the soul. I've done my share of binging in this(and still do at times. I love the old practice of Wednesday/Friday fasting. This seems to be a forgotten practice but one that proves very beneficial. As you say there are plenty of other things besides food we can fast from.

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  3. Thanks, Anne and Karen! I can't say I've done much fasting here at the beach besides a bit of computer fasting (which obviously didn't last all that long) but still does some good because I love going on the computer and can easily overdo it ;)
    I don't know why I winked. I hate fasting from the computer and force myself do it on occasion because I know that it is the thing I like to give up the least.

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  4. Good Morning Mary
    This is such a beautiful post with lots to ponder in it. "A one on one relationship with the Lord of all that is", that, Mary, is just staggering if one stops to think about it. It sort of makes your heart jump a bit with gladness, and amazement of the "Who me?" kind.
    Thanks, Mary, and God bless you.

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  5. Breadgirl,
    It is incredible, isn't it?! Thinking about the beatific vision is staggering, too. After I wrote my post I was thinking about this and it's enough to drop a person where they stand. Amazing!

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  6. Colleen,
    "cation" works for me ;)

    Thanks, Barb!

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  7. What a beautiful post! Especially loved the following lines:

    ~ Every person was made to live in God's spotlight. (What a great reminder!)

    ~ we gratify the senses to the detriment of our souls. And our souls are crying out in anguish. [ So true! =( ]

    ~ fasting from many of the worldly things, the junk food, that vie for our attention. (Love this metaphor!)

    Thanks for sharing.

    Mary, I am stopping by from a comment you had left on my blog last June 23rd. Thanks so much for visiting and for taking the time to comment! I didn't even realize you had posted till today -- I am so sorry! I guess you had stopped by before I had put on comment moderation. I'm so glad I decided keep it on since to keep track of comments.

    In response to your comment, how wonderful that your daughter is doing the whole rosary with you at age 7 -- what a blessing! Sounds like you're doing a great job handing down a love for our Faith. Keep up the good work!
    God bless!

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  8. Hi Sweetums5,
    Thank you for visiting my blog and commenting! I think I found your site on Catholic Mother's Online. Sounds like you're doing a great job, too! I enjoyed the poem and paintings you posted - I love poetry :)

    I'm a procrastinator, too, and should probably make lists like you do!

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  9. Thank you for this beautiful post!
    I love your suggestion to fast from the "not-God" stuff! I will take you up on that!
    AMEN!

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