Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Church

“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,” - Luke 1:46 

Prayer: Lord, we marvel at Your goodness, which is beyond measure. Help us to see and understand the marvel of Your ways, how You seek to speak to, and enliven the hearts of men. How You can love us and care for us as though You were caring for each of us individually, yet Your care extends throughout generations and peoples. You love me like I am the apple of Your eye, and yet Your loving ways are the same for all. Help me to rejoice in Your goodness, to let my soul magnify You. Amen.

"How Much More ..." 

In the title of this article, I am attempting a certain play on words. Often our sense, our reaction to the world and the actions that are happening in our lives is "How much more." How much more am I going to have to take? How much more hardship, or work is God going to give me? And yet our Gospel speaks to us of the Heaven Father, "How much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask."

In moments that we feel overwhelmed, we long for simpler times, when things didn't seem so challenging. We look into our memories for these, or we think of stories that we encounter in books, movies, television shows.... These were moments of delight for us, moments to rejoice in God's goodness, moments to savor the truths that we learned. 

For me I marvel at writers and their ability to help us reflect on truths, truths of who we are, truths of the world. This is true for authors of books, or writers for television series or movies. Yet, I think that it is good for us to remember what stories are, a beautiful wrapping that helps us to receive a truth. Sometimes a critique on humanity, a word of caution or lesson to learn. Sometimes a truth about how we are made, to reflect on the courage, the strength, the love that exists in our hearts. Or like the Bible stories that help us reflect on our creator, who He is, and how we are to relate to Him.

In stories, the art of writing seems to weave the tale around at most 5 major characters, with minor characters weaving in and out. This helps for brevity and focus. Helps the audience to see, to remember, and to take in the truths that the specific story seeks to communicate. This is the beauty. The challenge is that these stories can then shape our fantasies and the longings of our hearts. In such cases as I have mentioned above where we are overwhelmed. Then our longing becomes for simpler times, times that do not exist in reality, but in story. We have been conditioned by the 5 character stories to think that it should be possible. Or we may long for truths or loves that are simpler, far simpler than those that are experienced in the lived reality of life with God. [Hopefully we seek after greater loves than expressed in the stories and movies we read and see].

On a brief side note I have always loved the notion expressed by St. Paul, "You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on your hearts, to be known and read by all men; and you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts." Each of us are to allow our lives to be lived in love of God, and as such, the love we feel and come to know from God will be the story written in 'the Spirit of the living God.'

In the story of humanity, there is no golden age, or simple moment. It is the story of our salvation, of God saving us. So when we feel afraid, discouraged, and overwhelmed we are to pray to God for deliverance, for reassurance, for guidance, for good things. These are the good things God as our loving Father desires to give. And that is why the story is the greatest love story ever told, that is why it is a story of salvation, of triumph, but sometimes we have to ask our heavenly Father for specific things in order for them to be 'written in.'

May  God richly bless you!

-Fr. Jeremy

[Another side note: sometimes the good we desire and ask for is the secondary good that God wants to give, the first being a healing, or an ease of being that helps us to receive the good we ask for.]