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Dare we believe?

Mark Dohle

Well-Known Member
Dare we believe?

“Picture me as a living being, loving you more than you could ever imagine even in your deepest longing. Picture me often this way as a real person, not just someone near you, but actually in you. One whose presence never leaves you, a presence…what a fountain of joys! And a beloved Presence too; as precious as life itself. No one is more beautiful than I, for I am Beauty. No one more intelligent, for I am Eternal Mind. Do you really realize how gentle and compassionate I am, for all I am so great? And that my face is full of charm and inexpressible sweetness.”


From the book “He and I”
by Gabrielle Bossis
Page 113

People will often look upon God as a ‘force’ in the universe. A reality that is impersonal, uncaring, a clock maker that creates, perhaps mindlessly and then leaves us to ourselves; alone and on our own, in a dark and often meaningless universe… or perhaps for many more, there is no God at all to think about or to respond to. Perhaps for even more people, they can be called ‘practical atheist’, who say they believe but live as if in fact there is no God at all. Not bad lives, just lives where God has no influence, accept perhaps an hour on Sunday.

Or we project our worst fears onto God. We latch onto what we understand, even if that is something less than desirable. We understand abuse from those over us. Children understand that when ‘mommy’ and ‘daddy’ are having a bad day they could be the brunt of their ‘rage’. Love is experienced as conditional, something that can be taken away in a moment if an action or attitude is perceived by the parents. So most of us understand this kind of love, now, make that reality Infinite! It can be scary. We gravitate to those parts of scripture that we can easily understand. The ‘anger’ of God for instance, punishment, hell, separation, even if in our hearts we do not want that. God is seen as distant; watching our every move and we can of course find scriptures to back this up….it is easy.

Those others quotes from our Holy Books that tell us otherwise are often not quoted much, or perhaps even pondered upon. We can forget to reflect on how Jesus related to those around him. His compassion, love and understanding, while at the same time encouraging those whom he heals to began to live a fuller life within community, to yes sin no more. Jesus did not downplay sin, he knew of its destructive force, he understood our weakness and fear and so he taught in ways that would not make us cringe before him. The only people he was rough with, or ‘yelled’ at, where those who were at the top of the ladder in the religious sense. Even then he tried to get their attention, he was not seeking to drive them away but to communicate with them….it was done in love and with compassion. It is obvious that he did touch many, for after the resurrection many of those that he was harsh with became followers of Christ.

What is our deepest longing? Many fear them, because when we actually allow ourselves to peek into this reality, our longings, we are often brought to the level of children, to a place where we experience how vulnerable we are, and how hard it is to believe that our deepest desires to be seen, loved, and embraced can actually be a ‘true north’ of sorts.

The ‘Good Shepherd’, leaves the 99 in order to find the one who is lost and wandering in a dangerous land. The woman, who after days of seeking finds the lost coin in her home and when finding it, she invites her neighbors over to rejoice with her in good fortune. Or the father of the prodigal son, who rushes out to embrace his son and welcome him home, even though the son was not really contrite. These show the abounding love and mercy of God….dare we believe that this is true? That each of us is loved so deeply that we are desired by God? It can be harder than we think. Hence the need for the Lord, I believe to speak to us through mystics, in a language that we understand.

The all ‘Beautiful’, ‘Loving’, ‘Intelligent’ speaking this word to all of us through Gabrielle Bossis:


“Picture me as a living being, loving you more
than you could ever imagine even in your deepest longing”



This can be more difficult than commonly understood. For many almost impossible, yet is it true that Christ Jesus is the revelation of the Infinite Father? How do we respond to words of tenderness and love? How do men respond to such a thing? Perhaps for men, it can be more difficult, to let go of our defenses and before God to become little children, not childish, but open, courageous (adult) children before the Infinite fire of God’s love as shown us through Jesus Christ.

“Come to me all you that labor and I will refresh you”. Can we respond? Trust is a choice, often a hard one; it can be like swimming upstream in a rushing torrent, yet the choice can be made. “Jesus I trust in you”, said and embraced at ever deeper levels.

Our ‘deepest longing’, what is that? Perhaps it is what would tear us open; break our hearts if actually experienced. Is it too good to be true? In fact it can be easier to believe in nothing, than to wrestle with our deep hidden fears of the Infinite to come to a place of awe and abandonment. Perfect love cast our fear, as St. John speaks of in his 1st Letter.

Every human being is heavy burdened. All have been hurt, betrayed in some way. Many have been abused, both sexually and emotionally, and even if they have not, there is often deep pain that can come from places not understood. Our hearts are truly restless until we rest in Thee O Lord!

The language of love can at the same time attract and repels us. We are repelled because love ‘demands’ everything’. Yet this love leads to fuller life. When we seek to assuage our pain in other ways, also demands everything, yet leads to chaos, pain and death. Let love win, dive in, believe, allowing our hearts and souls to be bathed in what we are made for….the embrace of Infinite Love!
 
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