November 2011
Reflections of God's Goodness
Who am I? This question often leads to a deeper relationship with God, with ourselves and others. It is an invitation to go deeper, to go to that hidden part of ourselves where we are alone – with God.
As we head toward the annual celebration of Thanksgiving and Christmas, I want to encourage you to find time for quiet and time to reflect on the question! The busyness of our days can cause a kind of falseness to layer onto our life. And yet, God has created us for more. God has created each of us to be in relationship with Him and with each other. Our heart longs for this connection. We want to know God and we want to be known.
Life has a way of breaking or distorting our connection to God and to one another. As we seek to answer the question, “Who am I?” we may find that a false self, the masks we wear in the world, get in the way of clear vision. Most often the false self is formed over time in response to and in defense against the difficulties and hurts of life.
As we search for the answer to our question in the depths of the silence we call prayer, Jesus tells us who God is and who we are. Jesus tells us who God is when He answers the prayer of a widow whose only child is sick, or the pleas of a powerful man whose daughter has died. Jesus shows us the face of God as He interacts with lepers and sinners, prostitutes and thieves. In each case, He shows us that our God is a God who cares, a God who loves, a God who calls us daughter or son.
Yes, God is waiting for us. God wants to transform us through sharing His divine life. He is handing us the mission and asking us to be His heart, His hands and His voice in the world. Let me warn you, this won’t be easy! Our lives are filled with ringing phones, dirty dishes, unopened mail! Millions of things distract us from our original purpose.
Give yourself the gift of some quiet time apart with God and you will find yourself filled up and ready to bring God’s love to the world around you. This is our true self.
May the good God continue to pour His grace and gratitude into your heart and your life.
Happy Thanksgiving,
Sr. Mary Ann Barnhorn, SNDdeN
Director of Development
Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,
and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33
