Please be welcoming to God

THIS should be the attitude to have in our relation with

God. He always takes the initiative to come to us, to knock at our

heart’s door. We should be welcoming to him, and more than that, we

should be appreciative of his love and concern for us and learn to

correspond by knowing, thanking and loving him better each day.

            Toward this end, we may just need a few moments to touch

base with this reality and to make it our guiding spirit all

throughout the day. We have to feel this need for him, for without

him, we can only do nothing, or worse, the only possibility left for

us is to sin.

            Christ spelled out this innate need for God when he said:

“I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in me,

and I in him will bear much fruit. For apart from me you can do

nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is

thrown away and withers. Such branches are gathered up, thrown into

the fire and burned…” (Jn 15,5-6)

            Thus, we have to learn the art of praying, or spending a

few moments of meditation, which is not only a matter of technique but

more, that of learning how to be with God. A few minutes of meditation

is like the refueling and the recharging that we need to make us going

properly throughout the day.

            Remember that God first created us. And upon our creation,

he took the initiative to establish a personal relationship with us.

He talked to our first parents, gave them some instructions. And even

if our first parents, and then us, messed up the original plan of God,

he did not sever that relationship with us.

            Yes, there was and will be divine anger and punishment

because of our sins, but he will never abandon us, unless we dare to

abandon him. But it is his love for us, shown most especially in his

gratuitous mercy he offers to us, that would contain all the

aberrations we tend to commit.

            Let’s take comfort in what a psalm says about God our

Father: “His anger is fleeting but his favor lasts a lifetime. Weeping

may stay the night, but joy comes in the morning.” (30,5) Let’s keep

these reassuring words always in mind.

            We should just try our best to be welcoming to him and to

correspond to his will and ways, which is for no other reason but for

our own good. We have to realize that the best condition we can be in

any given time is when we are with him, actively and intimately

corresponding to his will.

            Let’s remember that more than us it is he who is shaping

and directing our life. We should never dare to shape and direct our

life by our lonesome. Not even with the help of many others on whom we

can count in some ways. We have to remember that our life is a life of

sharing with God. It is a life of communion with him.

            We have to be wary of our tendency to do things on our

own. Especially these days when we seem to be able to accomplish many

things with hardly any reference to God, or when we are intoxicated by

our own powers and achievements, we have to deliberately humble

ourselves so we would always feel the need for God.

            Praying is the most fundamental thing we need to do to

keep that relationship with God. And it need not be a matter of saying

so many vocal prayers. It is more a state of mind, a way of life where

in our own very personal and unique ways, we are conscious that we are

with God and doing things with him. We have to be men and women of

prayer!