Know • Grow • Go
Faith 101: Relationship with God
Week One: Thirsting for God
Deep within each of us is a thirsting, a yearning, that can only be filled with God. We are created in such a way that as St. Augustine articulated so clearly, “we are restless until we rest in Thee oh God.” Until we make peace with this built-in restlessness we will be filled with unease and driven-ness. Fr. Karl Rahner, S.J. describes this as the “torment of the insufficiency of all things attainable.” Accepting and embracing that everything in human existence is incomplete frees us from demanding that life—including spouses, families, friends, jobs, hobbies—can give us something that it simply cannot give. And this is crucial. Without directing that inner ache, that inner loneliness, as a thirst for God, it becomes a sort of cancer in our lives that shows itself in all kinds of obsessive, addictive, and destructive ways.
Just think about peak experiences you have had in your life—the birth of a child, an incredible romance, an experience of nature, a time of absolute delight. These are good things, things that are gifts from our generous God, experiences that should be cherished without any kind of guilt. Yet, in and of themselves they are still incomplete. As rich as each of these can be, they still leave us yearning for more, for permanence, ultimately for what only Heaven will bring. We know too well how quickly everything can change, how transitory and fleeting are these wonderful experiences.
And think of the low times in life—tragedy, depression, sickness, hardship, setbacks. They too leave us yearning for a world where finally everything will be restored and evil will be entirely and permanently conquered. Can we even imagine a world without violence, war, oppression, corruption, struggle with temptation, bad choices, selfishness, doubt, divorce? Ahhh, when will the Garden of Eden be restored?
Here’s the Good News! The entire story of salvation described in the Bible, from the Book of Genesis to the Book of Revelation, is all about God pursuing us, inviting us into relationship with him, calling us forward to new life. The coming of Jesus, coupled with the sending of the Holy Spirit, is the ultimate expression of God’s desire to fill that deepest part of our lives—and to unite with us in the deepest imaginable friendship. This is what faith is all about: relationship with God! Faith is not a “thing,” or an “it,” or a doctrine. Instead it is all about a relationship. Here’s how Pope Francis describes it: “Let the risen Jesus enter your life, welcome him as a friend, with trust: he is life! If up till now you have kept him at a distance, step forward. He will receive you with open arms.”
Next week our theme will be Divine Friendship, and we will describe in some detail what a friendship with God “looks like,” and how it shapes our lives. Week 3 will then be about our Catholic understanding of Conversion. All of this will lead up to Week 4, “Commitment,” where we will each have an opportunity to renew and deepen our surrender to Jesus and encounter him in a new and fresh way.
Here are the homework questions for this week:
What are some of the false ways we seek to fill the emptiness in our lives?
What does this quote from George Bernard Shaw mean to you: “There are two great tragedies of life—to not get your heart’s desire—and to get it.”
Why do we resist inviting God into our deepest loneliness, restlessness, fears?
Week Two: Divine Friendship
Last week our series began with a description of our universal thirst for God. What is truly amazing is that our God, the God of the entire universe, the One who is all-powerful, all-present, and all-knowing—for reasons beyond anything we could envision—thirsts for us even more than we do for him! Not only does He want to be united with us in the midst of everything in our lives, but He wants to be united with us for all eternity in Heaven! That should blow our socks off!
So what does this relationship He offers look like? In our human limitedness, the best we can do is imagine the best of our own relationships and friendships and then parallel that to divine friendship. The Bible is full of images of how God envisions his relationship with us. Ponder these tender words from the prophet Isaiah: “No more shall you be called ‘Forsaken,’ or your land ‘Desolate,’ but you shall be called ‘My Delight.’ For the Lord delights in you, and makes your land his spouse. As a young man marries a virgin, your Builder shall marry you; and as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride so shall your God rejoice in you.” (Is. 62: 4,5) Do you get the picture?
The reality is this: God invites us to welcome Him into the center of our lives. Knowing that we struggle to comprehend this, in his love for us, He sent Jesus into our very world, in human form, to make this connection possible. Our Christian faith is by its very nature Christ-centered. This relationship with God is made concrete in the Person of Jesus Christ. Through Him we have access to the Father. Through Him we are daughters and sons of God, with Jesus as our brother! In the power of the Holy Spirit we are swept up into the very communion of the Trinity.
So when we are in relationship with Jesus we experience everything in our lives through the lens of this friendship
All that delights us is seen as a personal gift from Him.
We honestly and openly bring to Him our anxieties and fears, asking for His help, and allowing ourselves to be assured of His care.
When we are tempted to be less than “the best version of ourselves” we ask for his assistance, and when needed, beg his forgiveness.
Throughout our day (and night!) we know He is with us constantly, in everything, eager to be acknowledged, and eager to be in dialog with us.
We firmly believe that there is a plan unfolding in our lives—and that God is actively working with us and through us to fulfill that plan.
As with all friendships, our friendship with the Lord is constantly growing, shifting, and maturing—or drifting away. Quality relationships demand attention, effort, and heart. Too often we allow this relationship with God to become mechanical, rote, impersonal, or just neglected altogether. When this happens we miss out on the most important friendship in our lives! And, believe it or not, God misses being with us! Next week our topic will be Conversion, and that will lead to our final week’s theme of Commitment when we will each have an opportunity to deepen and renew our surrender to Jesus and to encounter him in a new and fresh way. Come Holy Spirit!
Questions for reflection:
Think of one person who has strong faith (“relationship with God”). How does that faith show in his/her life?
As God’s friends, how should we act?
Week Three: Conversion
We began this series by describing the inner thirst, the underlying longing for God in our lives. Then last week our topic was Divine Friendship, exploring in concrete terms what this relationship with Jesus can look like in our lives. Our topic this week, Conversion, has to be understood in the context of that relationship.
Our Catholic understanding of conversion focuses less on a one-time conversion experience, and more on an ongoing process of growing and maturing in this divine friendship. The obvious and necessary parallel is once again the best of our human relationships. Friendships have peak moments, times of great commitment, and also times that are fairly routine and even mundane. Committed, valued friendships mature thru all of that. The vows made at weddings express it well: “I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in health and in sickness, I will love you and honor you all the days of my life.”
In a perfect world (!) a person would be born into a devout Christian home where this divine friendship is indeed the lens thru which everything is seen. Baptism would be the child’s initiation into that relationship and the child would gradually be introduced into a relationship with God. At age 4 or 5 the local Catholic parish would provide faith formation experiences to assist the parents in awakening and clarifying that divine friendship that is offered. Later, often in 2nd grade, preparation for the sacraments of Reconciliation and First Communion would take place, followed by confirmation in high school. Throughout all of this the parish community would be a witness that this faith experience so prevalent at home is a community event honored and celebrated each weekend at Mass. Later in life the now grown child will discern how he or she is to live their life and use their unique gifts – as a married person, a single person, or as a religious or priest – and will seek to keep that relationship with Jesus front and center in everything. Throughout life there would be a deepening and a maturing of that faith relationship that would eventually prepare one for eternal union with God in heaven!
Okay, sometimes that happens smoothly and consistently. More often though there are times of doubt, of drifting away, of renewal, and of rededication. Typically Catholics cannot identify a “born again” date when they were “saved”, but with some reflection we can identify low and high points in this journey. It is our hope that this Faith 101 series can be a time of clarifying and reaffirming the relationship we have with Jesus, a time of surrendering more deeply our lives to Him and encountering him in a fresh and new way. To sustain this relationship requires diligence on our part. That is precisely why our faith tradition requires weekly Mass participation – even when we don’t feel like going! This is not a “do-it-yourself” kind of thing; it is very personal, but it is not private. We are always part of a community of believers supporting each other in our relationship with the Lord.
Next week with our theme, Commitment, I will be leading a guided meditation at all Masses inviting each of us to a deeper commitment.
Questions for reflection:
If you knew you would die and have to face God tomorrow, what is one thing that you know you would want to change as soon as possible?
When in your life have you felt closest to God? When have you drifted the furthest?
Week Four: Commitment
As we culminate our Faith 101 series, the following is the guided meditation we used during all Masses. In summary, I remind you:
Only Jesus can fill the deepest thirst in our life. No one and no thing can satisfy us at the deepest level in a permanent way.
God’s plan is for us to experience Him personally in our lives—not just as a “supreme being,” “higher power,” or distant God. God became human in Jesus precisely to reveal how much He wants to be united with us.
Conversion is an ever deepening process in our lives as we open the door more and more to the presence of the Lord and invite him into every part of our lives. Dying to self is essential to holiness, and happens the more we invite Jesus into our lives. The Eucharist sustains all of this on a weekly basis.
“It is true. I stand at the door of your heart, day and night. Even when you are not listening, even when you doubt it could be me. I am there. I await even the smallest sign of your response to me, even the least whispered invitation that will allow me to enter. And, I want you to know that whenever you open the door, even a little bit, I will enter. Silent and unseen I will come, but with infinite power and love. I come with my mercy, with my desire to forgive and heal you, and with a love for you personally that is beyond your comprehension. The love I have for you is every bit as great as the love I have received from my Father. I come—longing to console you and give you strength, to lift you up, to dispel your darkness and all your doubts and to fill you with a deep inner peace.
The reality is: I thirst for you! Yes, I know the incompleteness of your life and the ways—good and bad—that you have attempted to fill those voids. I know you through and through—I know everything about you. Nothing in your life is unimportant to me. I have followed you through the years, and I have always loved you. I have waited for you. I have cherished the times you have turned to me—in times of distress and in times of gratitude. I have only wanted to hold you, to assure you that I am with you. You have tried many things in your quest for happiness. So often you have been disappointed and heartbroken. Try opening your heart to me. I wait with open arms. Just invite me into your heart. Surrender your life to me. You can trust me. I only want what will be best for you, what will lead you to the abundant life I have promised. Just say YES to me.”
Commitment Prayer (Our response to God’s invitation)
Lord Jesus, I invite you into my life. I come before you just as I am. I have sinned. Please forgive me. I renounce all sin, all evil spirits, and any way I have opened myself to them. Lord Jesus, I give you my entire self, now and forever. I invite you into my life. I accept you as my Lord, my God, and my Savior. Heal me, change me, strengthen me, use me as you wish. Send your Holy Spirit into my life and flood me with your presence. Thank you for wanting to be with me. Amen.