Thursday, October 6, 2011

pushing further... a discerning process

Building upon "Give us this day, our daily bread," in today's gospel from Luke we hear:

"And I tell you, ask and you will receive;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives;
and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/100611.cfm

What we are called to consider is that in being receptive to the food that sustains us, our daily bread, it is also a matter of discernment. What I mean is that, have you ever found yourself going back to prayer time and time again and it just seems like there are no answers, or maybe like your prayers are going unanswered or that maybe, just maybe God isn't listening? But then! You hit that point, the "Ah-ha" moment where things make sense, the light bulb goes on, and you realize what you really need or what God really is trying to say to you, something other than what you want and that you did not hear at first. At times it all becomes crystal clear.

This reminds us that as our lives change, what we need changes and as all this unfolds we must remember that as we ask, seek, and knock in order to find we must listen and discern. Listen and discern. Listen and discern.

This process takes time and will require much persistence and patience on our behalf because we all know full too well that God is not going to text us back right away. We need to invite that daily bread in - the scripture, the Eucharist, our daily prayer - allow it to nourish us, become one with us, and enlighten us or bring us a step further than where we were before.

May we be persistent and patient in cultivating a discerning heart.

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