As a penance a month or so ago, my confessor asked me to read Michael Gaitley's book, Consoling the Heart of Jesus. However, he told me I was to read only one page or section at a time and really reflect on the spiritual message. I am also writing a reading diary of sorts of the key points in a journal my mother-in-law got me with Biblical quotes and other inspiration quotes on each page facing a ruled page.
Often, I don't pay attention to the quotations, but my reading in the Gaitley book and the Bible quotations mirrored one another perfectly the other night. The section in the Gaitley book instructed the reader about how to trust Jesus not to overburden us with suffering. It also pointed out that, out of all the sins in the world, rejection and mistrust by those closest to Jesus wound His heart the most. Then the journal's biblical quotations from Hosea 14:8, Luke 12:29-32, Phillipians 4:5-6, 2 Corinthians 9:8 all spoke of The Lord giving us what we need and for us to not be anxious.
In this time of confusion, people need to know that even though everything seems topsy-turvy and opposite of God's will, He will not leave us orphaned. God loves His own and will be with us to the end of time if we just let Him. When things get too difficult, often we shut God out (sometimes by blaming Him) and try to do things 'ourselves'. It is those times that Jesus bleeds and hurts the worst because we don't trust Him enough to seek His strength. The world isn't about us living for ourselves, it is about us learning to live for God. The first thing we need to do is accept what we have, both the good and bad, as gifts from God that He will help us with if we let Him.
I'm trying to let Him work in my life. Won't you?
