Falling in love with God is like falling in love with the most incredible piece of art. You love God for often reasons you do not even know.
Why do you love that artwork?
There are many explanations, but in the end it comes down to a core feeling, a pull, a connection with the soul.
You love God more if you endeavor to discover and learn more about who God is.
You appreciate art more if you know the history, the references, and its effect on its surroundings.
Looking at the art work too frequently and too routinely wears down its allure.
Loving God is not a routine or a habit. It grows, and honestly, it shrinks as well.
There are moments you revisit your love for God out of happiness and there are moments you turn your head toward Him because you "have to".
I've been to several different churches lately. The first church I tried talked about why it is important to give more money to the church - not a warm welcome. The second church talked about how happy and cool it is to be in love with God - I am trying to be happy and cool, but not there yet so I felt I wasn't included in the "cool crowd". The third church spoke about not knowing the Lord and yet following Him. OK, you got my attention. Still, I felt not included when it came time to wish peace on to others. Everyone hugged their loved ones and said peace, but barely anybody turned to strangers to wish the same. The half waves, stares, smiles came my way and I wondered, "When was the last time we sincerely, really sincerely wished peace onto one another?"
Tradition and prayer is one of the most beautiful things about mass, but perhaps those habits I mentioned earlier, are what we need to revisit to remind ourselves why we do the things we do. What makes the painting so beautiful and how can we enhance that beauty?
The title of this post is quite a statement, "ON GOD". Perhaps a more suiting title would have been, "ON ME". Afterall, isn't that how we understand God? Through our relationship with him? I challenge you to wish at least one person this week peace - very sincerely and wholeheartedly. Wouldn't it be beautiful to be the one receiving that grace?
May peace be with you,
Jo
