God's Gift to Me

Early, early one morning on a beautiful late-summer day, God presented me with a small token of His love.

I was driving home from work, in the dark, on a mostly empty Interstate, my mind preoccupied with thoughts I really didn't need to be concerned about. At one point in the drive, I actually thought that I should spend less time thinking about such things and more time praying. But I went back to those thoughts, my tired mind a little obsessed with them.

Then the Interstate took a turn to the right. And directly in front of me was a giant yellow moon on the horizon, so big and bold it almost startled me. And I laughed.

Thank You, God, I said, for I knew it was His gift for me. Somewhere I learned to embrace everything I encounter as a personal gift from God, as though it were for me alone.

Every fragrant flower, every gorgeous sunset, every warm, gentle breeze God sends to me personally, as if I were the only person on the earth. He does this for all of us. Just as He died for each of us, and for all of us.

He loves us that much.

So the gift of the giant yellow moon, hovering just over the horizon, was His surprise for me. It drew me out of my preoccupation and back to Him -- where my mind and heart belonged.

Inspired by the Year of Faith, Susan Szalewski began writing weekly columns for us. Although that year is over, we liked them so well that we asked her to keep writing. Thankfully, she said yes. So watch for these on Thursdays and see the Year of Faith Blog here.

The Hound of Heaven

In a previous blog post, I mused on how all of creation teaches us theology, lessons about God and our relation to Him.

Well, just last night a little mixed-breed dog named Laika (named after the Soviet space dog and pronounced Lie-ka) had me lying awake pondering God's love.

It all began when I woke up and realized the dog had climbed into bed and curled up for sleep with her head and fuzzy muzzle on my face.

It's her habit to sneak into beds in the middle of the night, probably because she finds little resistance from people who are asleep. Though I'm not so certain why she thinks it's okay to rest her head on my face.

I think her goal is to snuggle in as close as possible. After I gently pushed her off my face, she rested at my side -- or more like attached to my side, with every inch of her touching me.

So where's the theology lesson?

It's easy to see how dogs, renowned for their faithfulness, mirror God's love. And our Lord famously has been called "The Hound of Heaven" for the way He relentlessly pursues us.

Like Laika, He will do anything He can to get our attention. And He desires to be close to us -- as close as possible. That's why Christ became one of us and remains with us in the Eucharist.

And He not only pursues us. Like Laika and other playful pups, He wants us to chase Him, and find Him, in the adventure of a lifetime.

"Come, follow Me," Jesus says.

And in dog-like obedience, we should run to Him, our Master.

Inspired by the Year of Faith, Susan Szalewski began writing weekly columns for us. Although that year is over, we liked them so well that we asked her to keep writing. Thankfully, she said yes. So watch for these on Thursdays and see the Year of Faith Blog here.

A Reminder of Things Eternal

November, the month of souls and saints, reminds us of things eternal.

This month should sober us, bringing to mind how short our lives are and prompting us to assess where we are in our journey to Heaven.

And ultimately, that journey is all about love, a priest recently reminded me.

But love is not a gushy feeling. It’s more like a rock, enduring all things, as St. Paul says, and persevering.

The touchy-feely, emotional kind of love won’t lead us to Heaven. “If I am led by my feelings, I will fall into a ditch,” the priest said. “Our fallen nature can mislead us.”

The Guide on our journey provides another way, a deeper type love. He said: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”

Jesus’ love is not glamorous. In fact, it’s hard. It requires self-denial and service to others. But it’s the Way.

God gives us so many opportunities to love. They are the people around us. Our relatives, friends and neighbors -- especially those who are poor, elderly, disabled and in need -- are “what God is giving us to be saints,” the priest said. “God is saying pay attention to My presence.”

He shows us the Way. We just need to be attentive to His signs.

Inspired by the Year of Faith, Susan Szalewski began writing weekly columns for us. Although that year is over, we liked them so well that we asked her to keep writing. Thankfully, she said yes. So watch for these on Thursdays and see the Year of Faith Blog here.