We can entrust ourselves to God’s love at any time

“So many souls make little or no progress in the holiness that I desire for them because they do not trust in My grace. They attempt to change themselves by making use of purely human means and forget that I am all-powerful, all-merciful, and ready at every moment to heal and sanctify those who entrust themselves, with their weaknesses and sins, to My most loving Heart. I do not ask for perfection from those whom I have chosen to be My friends; I ask only that they give Me their imperfection and the burden of their sins, and allow Me to do for them what, of themselves, they are incapable of doing. Did I not say to My Apostles on the night before I suffered, “Without Me, you can do nothing”?” ---

In Sinu Jesu: When Heart Speaks to Heart--
The Journal of a Priest at Prayer

People often think of sin as simply some personal wrong that goes against what they believe is right.  This is true of course.  However, sin, is also what people do to us, abuse us, betray us etc.  We can often, because of the pain of such experience, which I believe are universal, seek to share that pain or to get some sort of pay back.  This payback, or revenge, can be directed at just about anyone.  If we lack trust, we can’t open up to others.  It is a form of imprisonment that keeps us from freedom and a full life.  We can also deal with our pain by seeking to find some cure that will take care of it.  This often leads to more problems, for people, nor can things, stuff, heal us to the extent that we seek.  We can also because of past pain, seek out people who will only hurt us further.  It is an endless cycle, played out both in our own souls, and how we treat others, but also on a global scale, even to the relationships between nations.

Holiness is not perfection in any sense.  Nor is it aloofness from others.  When a man, or a woman, can forgive others for past abuse, and hurts, they free themselves from some heavy chains.  Then there is self-forgiveness, which can really be even more difficult.  This is a serious problem and there are many ways that people seek to handle this, with success more or less, mostly less.

Those who can hurt us the most, are the ones we love and trust.  So many of our interpersonal struggles have their roots well before we were five years old.  As we age and experience even more betrayals and broken trusts, then the wounds harden, and we can become caged in by the sins of others in how they related to us.  Of course, this is passed on as well.  We often live out of what we have learned in our childhood. 

In the Parable of the Prodigal Son, I believe that we see what the Christian path is all about.  Any teaching that goes against what is manifested in this story about the Fathers love for us, should be rejected.  Even in religion, we can miss the point of what Jesus is trying to do.  It is a lifelong journey for each of us, as we allow the grace of God to slowly heal us and draw us to mercy. 

I have learned that no matter how dark it is, or seems to be, nor what the extent of my failure is, the grace of God always comes through and healing and balance restored.  It is something that can’t be earned, or demanded, it simply is.  For God is love, God is free enough to love even in the face of our betrayals of his grace and our lack of trusting.  We love because we need those we love. 

Agape love, is so beautiful because God does not need us, he simply loves us.  It is a love that I have to make acts of faith in, even in the midst of feeling his love intensely at times…….though that is rare. 

It is hard to understand that the greatest gift we can give to Jesus is our weaknesses, failures, and sins, no matter how dire they are.  It is then that we let go of egoism, self-absorption and simply look to God, to Jesus for love and mercy. 

We can entrust ourselves to God’s love at any time, though it often takes courage to do so.  Even in human relationships, if they are healthy, we get a sense of what God’s love is like, though in an imperfect manner.  For we can destroy our relationships with others and force them away.  If our relationship with God is destroyed, it is done only from our side, God is always waiting to embrace and to pick us up, just as the Father did in the beautiful story of the Prodigal Son.

Fear that paralyzes, despair that chokes out hope, self-hatred, and contempt, comes from us, it is not from the Spirit of God that we experience these negative emotions.  These are the chains from the past that have been laid on us by others and they will often have an unconscious effect on our lives.  Self-Knowledge allows us to see deeply without fear and to then make them our holocaust to the Lord. 

To exist is to be chosen by God to have a deep, loving, interpersonal relationship with. –BrMD