Finding God--or being found by God?

By Colleen Spiro

The Prayer of the Spinner by Gerard Dou (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)

I was hoping to talk about something else besides moving in this podcast. But my life is consumed with this right now and God always comes to us where we are.

As you may already know by now, we have been in the process of moving for the past several weeks. The first month was spent searching for a new home as well as packing all our stuff in-between working and church and ministry and such things as that. And putting down deposits and changing our address and well… you know the drill.

The last week has been spent unpacking. In other words, we are un-doing what we spent weeks doing. It would seem pretty funny if we were not so tired.

Never mind trying to figure out where everything should go and what looks right and what doesn’t and the storage problems. Oh my.

My writing life has certainly suffered through all of this but I couldn’t worry about it. I was too involved. Too focused on the task at hand.

Single-minded you might say.

Now I would like to tell you that my prayer life has not suffered at all. But it has. My usual silent time alone with the Lord has just not happened.

I have gone to Mass and I have prayed for Help quite a few times, but not that daily time spend in silence with the Lord. And oh, how I miss it. I cannot wait to get back to it.

But a funny thing happened on the way to me not having my usual prayer life. The Lord was always with me just the same. And not only did he stay with me, he let me know about it.


Read the rest or listen to the podcast here.

The babe leaped in her womb

by Michael Incorvia

Thalheimer Altar (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons).

"The babe leaped in her womb" (Luke 1:41) is a verse that I frequently prayerfully meditate on.  John the Baptist leaped in Elizabeth’s womb when he encountered Christ veiled in the womb of the Blessed Mother.  I prayerfully mediate on my struggle to see Christ in all who I encounter.  It is not easy to see Christ in those who cause discomfort in my life.  But, they are ones who bring opportunities to encounter and to be comforted by Christ.

Initially, encounters with Christ may not be comforting.  To approach Christ we must acknowledge our sinfulness and surrender self to follow Him.

It is difficult to see Christ in those who make us face our prideful, self-centeredness.   But, is it not Christ who scatters “the proud in the imagination of their hearts” (Luke 1:51)?  Is it not also Christ who will  “put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree” and who will “filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away” (Luke 1:52-53)?

Christ is present in those who challenge us to step outside of prideful, self-centeredness, to extend mercy to those in need; to think of another instead of self; to be humble and meek and not prideful when dealing with others; and to share what has been freely given with others.  Oh, the number of opportunities lost each day to encounter Christ!


Michael originally posted this at his blog  To Love and Truth.