THE LORD IS WAITING FOR YOU

Chardin

Recently I came across the following passage in Teilhard de Chardin's 1961 book Hymne de l'Univers. It came, as so often happens, at exactly the right time for me: I've been reflecting seriously about what the Lord might be expecting of me in this stage of my life (I'll turn eighty in August). So, here's my translation of the passage:

God is expecting from you more openness, more flexibility. In order to become one with Him, you need to be more free, and more vibrant. So let go of your egoism and your fear of suffering, love others as you love yourself, which is to say, let them inside of yourself, all of them, even those who you wouldn't want to if you were a pagan. Accept pain. Take up your cross, O my soul... 119-120 

God is patient with us!

The opening words caught my attention right away: "The Lord is expecting from you!" So, God still has plans for me, or, perhaps better, I'm still an important part of God's plan for the world. Then I looked at some of the things the Lord is expecting of me: "more openness" and "more flexibility" -- not exactly what one usually grows into as one gets to be eighty.

The paragraph is, of course, a call to every Christian to follow Christ more closely, but since today is the memorial of "The Immaculate Heart of Mary" let's ask her teach us by her example how to live out each of the "expectations" of the Lord. As you read down the list, think about how Mary responded to each expectation, and the pick out a couple that seem most challenging for you:

1. God is expecting from you more openness, 

2. 
   more flexibility. 
3. you need to be more free,

4. more vibrant. 

5. let go of your egoism 

6. and your fear of suffering, 

7. love others as you love yourself, 

8. which is to say, let them inside of yourself, all of them, 

9. Accept pain. 

10. Take up your cross,

With the help of the Blessed Mother, I hope to keep this list of challenges in mind, and have the courage to try to live up to the Lord's expectations.

From the Webb telescope -- Hymn of the Universe