"Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God." - Luke 1:30
We spend so much of our time and energy maneuvering in our lives (our daily struggle). We assess, compute, reason, forecast and then act. Why do we not simply respond? Respond out of a secure place within. A place made safe by God and His love for us alone.
I believe that this is God’s hope for each one of us. That we look within another at their core and simply be in awe of them. That we not let society or human politics interfere with what is inherently amazing about us.
There is a reason that humans are drawn to one another. There is a reason I find comfort when I cross someone on the street after seeing no one for a while. The very embodiment of everything God loves just walked right by me.
I am also slowly seeing that I too possess that grace. Caritas has helped me build a repertoire with God in order to begin to see and embrace the stunning-ness of people. By fostering a space where I don’t have to maneuver, Caritas lets me just be present with others in ways that is difficult in my everyday. I am not talking necessarily about deep moving personal conversations that bond people (although not to say that it does not happen), I am talking about something more now. Just sitting with someone, silently, feeling whatever emotions or feelings that are coursing through me, knowing that God placed this person next to me and that He is loving us both uniquely and like crazy. A state of unconditional presence that is truly hard to describe. The more I participate in and around Caritas, the more ways I find to live this unconditional presence with others outside of Caritas. This may sound very Nouwen(-esque), but to experience it beyond words on a page and have trouble describing it… it’s just incredible. :)
In what ways are you in awe of God's creation in others? In what ways do you see God's creation at work in yourself?
reflected by Eric Rodriguez
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