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God Wants You!
A Reflection by Fred Schaeffer, OFS
Years ago, in the United States, there used to be a poster advertising the armed forces as a career, which said in bold letters: "Uncle Sam Wants You!" Well, with God it is something like that, too. God loves us, and therefore, he wants to give us Gifts (we call that "Grace"). You see, He is our greatest and best Friend. Please turn to the Catechism of the Catholic Church “The mode of Christ's presence under the Eucharistic species is unique. It raises the Eucharist above all the sacraments as "the perfection of the spiritual life and the end to which all the sacraments tend." In the most blessed sacrament of the Eucharist "the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained." "This presence is called 'real' - by which is not intended to exclude the other types of presence as if they could not be 'real' too, but because it is presence in the fullest sense: that is to say, it is a substantial presence by which Christ, God and man, makes himself wholly and entirely present." CCC 1374
I remember that when I was a kid, and even a teenager, when my Mom called out for my help or presence, I used to have a stock answer, "Just a minute, Mom." And you know as well as I did that this "minute" wasn't just one minute but often ten minutes. But when you discern God is calling you this very minute, that is, NOW - do not place Him in second place to whatever project you are working on. Just stop, because your greatest friend and admirer wants you to be with Him that very moment.
The French Bishop Jacques-Benigne Bossuet (1627-1704), a great man, said, "When God desires a work to be wholly from His hand, he reduces all to impotence and nothingness, and then He acts." Let's meditate on this for a while... Bossuet tells us that God wants us to be completely his own in order to let Him work through us. We are the instruments or conduits of God's actions in the world. If we are very busy, busy people, we often do not have time for God, but if we stay aloof of all worldly "busy-ness" (the endless talking without having anything of substance to say, would be a good example of busy-ness) and are open to the Holy Spirit, then when God calls us to act on His behalf, we'll be ready. We won't say "Just a minute." To seek to free ourselves from this worldly "busy-ness" that has become so entrenched in our lives, often takes much consideration and personal conversion. We're often in situations where we are tempted to engage in idle conversation, acts and motions that need not be made, wasting time in front of the television set when there is really nothing on, at the time, that one could consider "morally justifiable" to see. Be honest about this. If you have doubts, place a little note on top of the TV set saying: "Would Jesus watch this?" Think about it! Jesus certainly would not watch a show where His name is being taken in vain, and where various words that are offensive to most, are constantly used.
I was reading a book "Miracles do Happen," by Sister Briege McKenna, O.S.C., with Deacon Henry Libersat (1987 Servant Books; ISBN 0-89283-316-5). When I saw it lying on the book table at a function I was attending, I felt compelled to take it with me. And what a good read it was. If you are someone who is in doubt of God's power and His love for you, do read this book. It will show you how God worked through Sister Briege in her way of bringing healing to other people.
In this book there is much reference to prayer. If we are to love God we need to make time for God. But we know that often we come to pray and we sit there, in church or in our prayer corner, silently, because we cannot think of anything to say to Him. The time you spend just being with Him, enjoying each other's presence, is time well spent and don't worry how it feels. The emotion of feeling has nothing to do with it. You know, people do things because it feels good. Well, prayer or contemplation isn't like that. It's not feeling. Giving our love to Jesus when He comes to our thoughts, is spontaneous and should not reflect how it feels to us. Sure, when you sit there and let your mind dwell in the greatness and splendor of our Heavenly Father, that feels good... but it doesn't matter how it feels to us. It only matters that we give Him the honor and the glory at that point regardless how it makes us feel. That brings us back to Bishop Bossuet's - “we are reduced to nothingness” - we do it all for Him. And then, when we recognize our place in God's overall scheme, we are ready to act 100% for Him. Listen to Him in your soul - listen with your heart, seek His Word, His advice, and He'll let you know what He wishes you to do for Him. Then spend time with Him. God Wants Us! He doesn't need us in all His splendor but He loves us so much that He seeks us out and calls to us. Be ready to do His will at all times.
Peace!
Fred Schaeffer, OFS
Bc142 (2008), republished, September 5, 2024