"God anticipates us always. Each individual life contains good and beautiful things that we can easily recognise as His Grace. ... If we learn to recognise God in His infinite goodness then we will be able to see, with wonder, the signs of God in our lives, just as the saints did". The signs of a God "Who is always close, Who is always good to us, Who says: 'Have faith in me'". - Pope Benedict XVI on the occasion of his visit to the tomb of St. Celestine
This reminds me of the Gospel of the Prodigal Son. The Father not only sees us coming to him in repentance as the father in the Gospel story spied his son returning to him, but the Father already sees us in the misery of our sin and anticipates us - anticipates and awaits our calling out to Him for mercy and forgiveness - for love! I think this is one meaning of the psalm, 'deep calls unto deep' - the depths of God's love calls unto the depths of human misery and sin. 'No pit is so deep that His love is not deeper still.' Hence no fall into sin, no relapse is too great for the Divine Mercy. God has anticipated our fall and offers the remedy. God is not ashamed to forgive our sins and restore His sons.
.
Photo: Holy Father venerating the relics of St. Celestine V.
.
Brief biography of Celestine V.
wonderful reflection, terry. keep up the fantastic work. it's obvious the Holy Spirit is touching lives through your blogging and i so appreciate you. deep is calling on deep - from the psalms. very true, and a consoling thought that our Lord anticipates our return to Him, even while we're immersed in muck. all we really want is His love, His mercy, His forgiveness. praise God for Divine Mercy.
ReplyDeleteThanks DB - your comments help too.
ReplyDeleteYour posts always give me so much to consider, reflect upon, and pray about. It is a daily help in my own rocky path to eternal life.
ReplyDeleteThe story of the prodigal has always impressed me, not just because the Father waits for and anticipates the son, but he runs down the road to meet him. He doesn't just wait at the gate. He actively approaches him.
God is always approaching us. He is always knocking on our door. We are often far too prideful and stubborn to pay attention!
Thank you again Terry.
Denis - Thanks - you are absolutely right - he runs out to meet us as it were.
ReplyDeletethank you, for this post.
ReplyDeleteInteresting photo op. Pope St. Celestine was the only pope to have abdicated.
ReplyDeleteTerry - well said.
ReplyDeleteIs that Zac Efron's picture (re: your avatar)?
BTW - are you experiencing any weird Blogger commenting issues? At AoftheA, comments people are leaving are not showing up, and I have comment moderation off.
Larry - yes - the comment notification isn't working at all.
ReplyDeleteOh! Oh! - and then, and then, most of my posts should have about 50 to 100 comments per post and they aren't showing up!!! I know!!! Fr. Z probably has some sort of scanner that takes all our comments and puts them on his posts... Oh! Oh! What if it is Fr. Eric's zombies doing it?
Michael - Benedict won't abdicate though.
ReplyDeleteLarry - I forgot - no the photo is not Zach - It's some anonymous guy that looks so much like me it is creepy.
I don't think it's Fr Z who's zapping the comments...it might be Kat, though. Or maybe Digi (you know, she won Most Batsh!t Crazy blog - it's the kinda thing she might do!)
ReplyDeleteI just read an interesting take on this by John Allen at NCR. Apparently, there were a few other popes who also abdicated, not just this one, as your reference states. Pope Benedict will not(and should not) abdicate, though most of the popes must wish they could do so.
ReplyDelete