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Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Remain in Christ's Love in the Present Moments

We report some remaining in Jesus' love experiences.  "Adel" comments: Prayed about remaining in Jesus' Love and was very good again. Been offering up my upset from one of the kids, and praying about remaining in His Love, and the sea is calming, every time I pray about remaining in His Love. It really does work. 

Last night, we went to [city], and [spouse] found another car for [daughter] to drive, and I was very nervous. and praying staying in His Love helped. Anyway, also prayed and thought of staying or remaining in His Love all day today. Was very beautiful, and makes a difference in the day. It makes you feel like you are always loved, always watched, and NEVER  left alone.

"Leah" writes: Remaining in His Love is just so joyful I can't help but sporadically break out in smiles. I had to start taking some of my medications again this week and was afraid of the side effects, but I just keep asking Jesus to allow me to
Remain in His Love and it is amazing. 


I have also gone to daily Mass a few times this week, and Monday the reading was exactly what we read on Saturday out of John. I feel like my focus during Mass is better and I am just loving it all.

"Colette" shares: Another day of remaining in His love. In remaining in Christ, for me it is a state of mind as I say and do things and when I am by myself.  Strong sense when I drove [elderly parishioner] to sewing yesterday, and at sewing.   It is a sense of being Christ for others.  Today I will be alone, so it may be different. 
  
Today I wrote to my spiritual director, asking about the insight I've had, remaining in Christ's love, that remaining in His love is also remaining in His will, that His love is His will and His will is His love.  I cannot think of any situation in which God's love would not be His will, or in which His will would not be His love.  I'll report back, as the s. d. is the theological final word around here. 

Began reading St. Francis de Sales' Treatise on the Love of God.  It came to me, remaining in His love, that the Irish Da and I should read this book, so visited him the other day and took the extra copy.  If we read 15 pages per day, we will be finished by Christmas.  However, last night I could not stop at 15.  I prayed prior for Jesus to help me remain in His love while reading the book.  Made for a glorious reading experience!  Yes, we must call upon the Lord Jesus in all we say and do, for we desire to remain in His love always.

The Da and I spoke of this the other day.  We realized how loving it is to repeat the Beloved's name, to ask for His help, or to call out letting Him know we are right there, remaining in His love. The Da mentioned abide in His love.  

Abide comes from the archaic bide which means to remain or stay somewhereAbide means to accept or act in accordance with a rule, decision or recommendation.  It also means (as in a feeling or memory) to continue without fading or being lost.  The archaic meaning is to live or dwell in.  These all assist in our understanding, although remain has more extensive meanings and is used in current New American Bible translations.

Regardless, we surely know how beautifully loved we feel when others call upon us in their need, or repeat our names, telling us that they are with us or desire to remain with us, to stay with us!  Can we fathom how Jesus feels when we think of Him in every present moment, call upon His love, ask for help in remaining in His love, tell Him we desire this union of love now and forever?

This morning the Gospel read at Mass (Luke 6:27-38) expresses Jesus asking us to love and pray for our enemies.  Jesus tells us: "You will have a great reward, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked."  

During the homily another insight filtered in while remaining in Jesus' love.  If we remain in Christ's love, our needs are fulfilled, for our souls are fulfilled.  What more could we desire in this life or the next than to remain now and forever in Christ's love?  For in His love we are in His will, and in His will we have all necessary by remaining in His love.  This is the great reward: to be in union with Christ.  We will be sons of the Most High.  We will be called His friends.  We will be children of God.  We will be His espoused

We are discovering throughout Scripture--Old Testament, Psalms, and New Testament--that the call to remain in Christ's love is figured and prefigured, substantiated through and through.  This, from the First Letter of John:  We have passed out of death and into life, and of this we can be sure because we love our brothers. If you refuse to love, you must remain dead....This has taught us love--that he gave up his life for us; and we, too, ought to give up our lives for our brothers....My children, our love is not to be just words or mere talk, but something real and active.

 Yes, something real and active.  This is very real, remaining in His love.  And it is active.  To remain in Christ's love means to be in His will, and we begin to love with His love according to His will.  We are flowing out from the stream of living water from which our thirst is quenched by His love.  We are united in His love as we know now and how to remain in His love.  If there is any thirst, it is His thirst for souls.


Let us be alert to what Jesus wills as we remain in His love.  For as we remain in His love, we will love as He loves.  We may be surprised in His love.  Where does His love (with us remaining in His love) flow?  In what ways, in every present moment, will we (remaining in Christ's love) love others as He loves us?  Expect the unexpected! Remain in His love, to love!

  


8 comments:

  1. I will read Saint Francois de Sales Book with you ... in french ... so maybe we will re- discover some guidesposts :-)
    To remain in the love of christ and to celebrate it, I simply decided to go to mass every day again.

    Deo gratias !


    Deo gratias !

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  2. How glorious, Seraphim! I will read all the more remaining in His love, for the outpouring of fruits we will gain from reading Treatise on the Love of God, together, in differing languages. You will have the beauty of St. Francis de Sales' native tongue. He is reading it to us, surely, speaking as our holy friend, all of us remaining in Christ's love. So thankful you are returning to daily Mass in celebration of remaining in His love! Always--

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  3. "If your heart wanders or is suffering, bring it gently back into place and move it gently in the presence of your Lord.
    And even if you have done in your life nothing else but returning your heart back into the presence of our God, even though it always ran away again, after you had retrieved it, then you have fulfilled your life well "(Francis de Sales)

    Thats our exercise :-)

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  4. So true, dear prince of the Heavenly King! Thank you. Will include this quote in the content of a post. What page is this in St. Francis de Sales' Treatise?

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  5. Sorry, its a quote I noticed a few weeks ago in my hermit journal without source... maybe its from the Treatise, we will find out :-)

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  6. I found from Google it is in de Sales' Intro to Devout Life, and I think Ch.2 Pt. 1 but will look. What a great exercise so appropriate to the Order of the Present Moment!

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  7. Dear Seraphim,
    This is a very beautiful sentence of St. Francis de Sales. He is my first saint that I read about, and I love him very much.
    I have the book, but havent read it yet, which page are you on? I could maybe try to follow along.
    Reading another book right now, about my saint of this year, St. Teresa of Avila

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  8. Dear Trust,
    I am not sure what page Seraphim is on. I, nothing, am on page 51, or Book Two, 2nd Chapter.
    Am trying to read 15 pages per day, beginning last Monday, but am a little behind. The garden tasks nearly completed, and will catch up today. It is a book to sip and savor. I am not sure where the Irish Da is in the book, either. Join in! This is a lovely book of refreshment, remaining in His love, and enjoying St. Francis de Sales. Seraphim is reading the book in French! He will have the precise words of St. Francis de Sales who wrote the "Treatise" in French.

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