Intimacy with God and others

[Mark Dohle]

Intimacy with God and others

Trust Me with all things, even the most insignificant. I am like a mother to the souls who believe in My merciful love; whatsoever touches them, touches Me.1 If only My priests knew this from personal experience, they would be compelled then to preach it, and many souls would discover through them just how deep and all-encompassing is the tenderness of My Sacred Heart for those who trust in My merciful love.

A Benedictine Monk. In Sinu Jesu: When Heart Speaks to Heart--The Journal of a Priest at Prayer (p. 86). Angelico Press. Kindle Edition.

++++++++++​

I have had many conversations with men and women my age whose spouses are still alive. In ‘many’ of the relationships, what is revealed to me, is that there is little sharing on a level where both parties learn more about each other, and thereby go closer. It takes trust and overcoming the fear of vulnerability that allows husband and wife to draw closer together. If not, when one spouse dies, the one left may come to the conclusion, sadly, that they never really knew one another. Of course, this can happen in any relationship.

After my mom died in 1983, at the age of 63, at my mother’s wake, that after seeing my dad standing opposite me talking about mom, that it came to my realization, that he was more or less a stranger to me. I had no idea who he was. Now, he was a good father, he was always there for us, drove us everywhere and a good role model for what it means to be a dad. Was he perfect; of course not. Yet on a personal, one on one, level, I did not know, or understand him in any way. Over the next twenty years, before he died, I got to know him better, not as much as I would have liked, but enough that when he died, he was someone who was real, and not a stranger.

I used to call him every Saturday and just talk for a few minutes. On home visits, I spent most of my time with him, and my step-mom, when in St. Louis. I called him one Saturday, as was my custom, we talked, and the last thing I said to him, was “I love you dad”. He responded in kind. He had a massive stroke about an hour later. I got a call from Craig. It was hard losing my dad, but if he had died a stranger, I think it would have been much harder for me.

This goes for any relationship that has any real depth. For most of us, there are not that many ‘deep’ friendships, but we all need at least one I believe in our lives. The courage to be oneself in the presence of a true friend, or a spouse who is a friend, is one of the most freeing things that anyone can do. It takes courage to open one’s heart. Most people have been hurt by others, and this can cause the heart to become overly protective, though we need prudence in allowing anyone deeply into our inner world. Yet not to do it can be worse, even with the risk. After saying the above, I still struggle with the trust of others, but I am doing it a little better as I age.

God, can be a huge hurdle for many. Believers, even the most devout, have their struggles, their wounds, and often very serious failures in living up to what they say they believe. It can take years for healing, for we are all on the way, on the road, pilgrims. I do believe that each human can be both an example for good, as well as causing scandal because of certain weaknesses and sins. I do not believe that anyone is excluded from this reality.

I have come to the conclusion that no human being will deflect me from my path of seeking a deeper relationship with God. Which is impossible without trust, so fear has to be starved, dealt with, in order for this intimacy, which I believe that we all seek, even if unconscious, to become a reality. To be seen and yet loved, is a longing that is a constant in our species. The suffering and pain of relationship, as well as the joy, takes up a great deal of our artistic expression.

The understanding, and the experience of the love of God as shown us by Jesus is a lifetime journey, with many goings off the path for most. Yet we are brought back in. Grace is so much a part of our lives that it can be overlooked. Yet a prayerful and thoughtful examine of our lives can lead us to reconsider the place of actual grace, gift, faith, in our lives. We can be like fish, not knowing we are swimming in water. It is too close.

Life is hard, yet we are the beloved of God, all of us, each a unique expression of divinity. In Him we life and move and have our being, loved beyond measure. It takes the choice of faith to believe this, to ‘hoping against hope’ as Saint Paul states. I do believe that the grace of God is infinitely patient, for we are truly ‘seen’ and ‘understood’ by our loving Father.

We all need to pray for our Priest, Ministers, Rabbis, and Imans. To pray for all who teach others about the true nature of life. To pray that they will not spread hatred, or ignorance, but each to speak the truth in love.

We are all the beloved of God

Lord,
faith is not easy,
perhaps no path in this world is,
so in that knowledge,
let us pray for one another,
to understand what
“not judging” means,
to see deeply into the mystery
of all we meet,
each your beloved child.—Br.MD​