https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/051024.cfm
Love Jesus That Much
A common theme that arises in a spiritual direction is dryness in prayer. “I’m not getting anything out of it,” people say. This dryness in prayer is a moment of dramatic conversion. The desire is to be with the Lord, but He seems to be on vacation. The temptation is to give up. Like the disciples who followed Peter and returned to their old ways before they met Jesus. “I’m going fishing.”
Should we decide to stay with the Lord in prayer, a dramatic change will occur in us. We will see everything and everyone in a different way. We will see with the eyes of Jesus and begin to feel with His heart. Instead of trying new things to get something out of prayer, go into your heart and be with the Lord. Give Him whatever you are feeling at that moment.
It is like exhaling all the carbon dioxide, filled with the frustration of not progressing in our walk with the Lord as we would like. It sounds absurd, but REJOICE. The emptiness you experience inside is the space Jesus needs to love and work His wonders in others – through you.
Remember, the disciples had difficulty “seeing” (recognizing) Jesus after He rose from the dead. Our Lord’s great Paschal Mystery (His Passion, Death, and Resurrection) is happening in us during our “dryness,” Our minds and hearts are too small to experience the Divine at work in us. Mother Teresa of Calcutta lived in a drought all her life. Who would know it? When she spoke, we heard Jesus in our hearts.
Gospel Challenge:
That’s how it worked for her and can work for us. After a while, you forget about the perks and even want more of God. He doesn’t measure how much we are growing; he only estimates how much others are growing in Jesus because of us. We will have an eternity of bliss in heaven. Love Him that much, through the dryness.
Love Your Neighbor!
Fr. Rick Pilger, IC
www.bscchurch.com
