If God is love then why do we witness so much pain, hate and suffering in the world he created? After all, couldn’t God in one fell swoop transform the world into a loving paradise like Eden? Of course he could, after all, God is God and he created the universe out of nothing. If he created the universe out of nothing then he can most certainly heal planet earth and bring about a fullness of love. Yet, he doesn’t step in and heal us from our suffering… or does he?
In our reading from Saint John today we learn that God dwells within all who love. And who, at least in the very recesses of their heart, doesn’t love or desire to be loved? A look at a newborn baby and we witness this internal desire for love that every human being holds. It doesn’t take much to make an infant respond with love. The baby smiles, coos, and wiggles with joy when love is showered on her (or him).
What An Infant Knows
I remember when my children were infants. I would hold them and speak my “mommy talk” to them. What manifested between us was magical. A beauty that came from within each of us reached out and met the other. The result was a sphere of divine love that was beyond human potential – only God could create such beauty. This beauty was God’s love living inside each of us and there was nothing we did to earn or deserve such a gift of love. We simply allowed love to expand and in return we received much.
So where did everything go sideways in the world? This innate, intrinsic love we witness in a baby all too often fades away as the child grows and experiences the world. Does God disappear and abandon the child, leaving her helpless at the face of life’s trials? Of course not. As Saint John reminds us, God remains in those who remain in his love. In order to continue to be an open vessel to God, like our infant self, we must remain in his love. Since we are created in the image of our loving God we are already there! Yes, we already remain in his love and his love remains in us.
A Spiritual Battlefield
However, the world also has its own agenda doesn’t it? The world does its best to get ahold of us. It attempts to distract and cause us to forget who we really are – loved and lovable children of God. You see, the world can be tough. Remember, we are not fighting flesh and blood my friends. We live in the middle of a spiritual battle field. Principalities and powers are at play. Forces are at work that seek to kill and destroy the love that we are. Sadly, all too often we fall prey to their lies and we forget who we really are. We forget that the love we once knew as an infant still remains inside of us and it wants to grow.
Our omnipresent God is all-powerful, and given this he has full authority over the powers that seek to kill and destroy the very essence of who we are. Since these powers cannot destroy love they seek to make us believe wrongly about ourselves, they seek to make us believe we are not love. It is up to us to take the steps necessary to halt their impact on us so that we can once again be a illuminating vessel.
Transforming the World
In order to change this pattern we must learn how to allow love to heal the broken parts of ourselves and this is easier than one might think. We must surrender to God’s plan and allow him to transform the world through us. His love is the power that will do all the work – not us. God is the one who does the healing – not us. All we need to do is learn how to surrender to his plan for our lives. God will then transform our hurting world through his children.
Transformation will come as we learn how to love and forgive one another like Christ did. This is true surrendering my friends. As we empty ourselves our Triune God will expand through us. I know this sounds like an insurmountable feat to many, after all, we have all experienced deep wounds at the hands of others. Being a human being can be tough and this world can be brutal to say the least. The only way we can love like Christ did is by allowing him to live in our heart. We must seek him and invite him in. And like all relationships, we must spend time with him. His Sacred Heart holds all the power we need for full restoration and Jesus Christ wants for his heart to grow inside of us!
You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. – 1 John 4:4
Healing From the Wounds
We all carry wounds. Many are transgenerational wounds that have been passed down through the generations. Such wounds will pass on to subsequent generations unless we make a change. We must take the steps necessary to heal from our wounds by allowing our internal healer, our Triune God and the Son’s Sacred Heart, to shine forth and transform our body, heart and soul. This will be a process, after all, we didn’t arrive at our woundedness overnight. Our current state of affairs has been years (generations) in the making.
Our woundnedness is the result of a long list of life experiences that were absent of love – or at least experiences where love was limited. Blow after blow we received wounds and each time a bit of our internal flame of love diminished. The deepest blows often came through those we love and want love from in return. Blows from our family members often create the most painful wounds.
Through it all we must remember that we are living in the middle of a spiritual battle field. When someone hurts you they have also experienced wounds that separated them from love. When we lack love we hurt others – plain and simple. Through it all, we must remember that inside of us lives the greatest spiritual power – Jesus’ Sacred Heart. The battle has been won and we can choose to be on God’s winning team. We can choose his weapons of prayer, forgiveness, and love. One step at a time we can heal from the internal wounds that separate us from experiencing the fullness of God’s love. The end result will be a new beginning for us and the generations that follow. Once again we will experience the love we knew so well as an infant.
And THAT is how God heals the earth my friends! His Sacred Heart enters into our hearts through time spent with Jesus Christ. Beginning one person at a time, one family at a time, we become whole and healed and God’s loves expands outward into the world.
May your family be blessed my friends in Christ. – Carolyn
Sacred Heart of Jesus – have mercy on us.
Father God – consume us.
Holy Spirit – enter in to us.
Mother Mary – pray for us.
Saint John – pray for us.
The Nine Faces of Struggle
Over the years I have witnessed what I call the Nine Face of Struggle – places where I see most of us become “stuck”, unable to feel the healing love God offers. From unforgiveness to childhood wounds, we all experience life challenges that hold us back from experiencing the fullness of Jesus’ Sacred Heart. I invite you to learn more: Nine Faces of Struggle.
