Saying Yes to Love
Father Richard describes intimacy with God as a loving yes to Divine Presence:
For Christians who have gone to their own depths, there is the uncovering of an indwelling Presence—a deep, loving “yes” inherent within us. In Christian theology, this inner Presence is described as the Holy Spirit, which is precisely God as immanent, within, and even our deepest, truest self. God is the very ground of our Being.
Some mystics have described this Presence as “closer to me than I am to myself” or “more me than I am myself.” Many of us would also describe this as the True Self, as Thomas Merton did. Yet it still must be awakened and chosen. The Holy Spirit is totally given and given equally to all, but must be consciously received, too. The Presence needs to be recognized, honored, and drawn upon to become a living Presence within us.
From this more spacious and grounded place, one naturally connects, empathizes, forgives, and loves just about everything. We were made in love, for love, and unto love, and it is out of this love that we act. This deep inner “yes” that is God in me, is already loving God through me. [1]
Seeking to experience God’s love more fully, spiritual director Colette Lafia asks a monk with whom she is friends, “How do I let God love me more?”:
Without missing a beat, Brother Paul answered in his joyful tone, “God cannot love you more. God already loves you infinitely. You just need to become more aware of [God’s] love … by becoming more present to it. It’s like hearing birdcalls. By paying attention and delighting in it.”
With Brother Paul’s wisdom etched in my mind, I prayed to be more receptive to the landscape of love within my heart and all around me, recognizing that I was already in a love relationship with the Divine, as are you….
In our journey towards a deeper and more abiding love relationship with the Divine, we grow by encountering and understanding our barriers. At the same time, stay open to the glimmerings of God’s grace that you can feel, see, or intuit. As you surrender all aspects of your inner knowing, grace, and resistance, you’ll enter into a fuller relationship with God’s boundless love.
How do we make receptivity a foundation of our relationship with the Divine and of our life of prayer? To give love, we also need to be able to receive it. This invitation to receptivity encourages us to listen to the stirrings of love, release into communion with God, and become more present to Divine love. “God cannot love you more. God already loves you infinitely.” Embracing this love, we can respond to God, others, and all of life from our heart, which is the source of compassion toward all. [2]
References:
[1] Adapted from Richard Rohr, Silent Compassion: Finding God in Contemplation (Franciscan Media, 2014), 46, 47.
[2] Colette Lafia, The Divine Heart: Seven Ways to Live in God’s Love (Monkfish, 2021), 22, 23.
Image credit and inspiration: Pranish Shrestha, untitled (detail), 2020, photo, Unsplash. Click here to enlarge image. Not knowing what comes next yet still saying yes is courage rooted in a framework beyond the practical—like Mary holding the small light of her yes in the midst of a dark night.
Story from Our Community:
Working to “engage the powers” from the edge of the systems is met with pushback and resistance. Love absorbs the negative, shines a light on the good and bad alike, and prays and acts for its transformation. It may be messy and disruptive but for those who stay with it, it does bring real and unitive change. It’s not always easy to see where the Spirit is leading when we seem to be the ones upsetting the status quo. But She blows us where She will and we may see her in the smile of a foe when power is transformed for good!
—Jane S.