Post written alongside to: The Dancing Queen by ABBA

“The problem is that most people pursue pleasures for themselves — that is, as their own ends — instead of seeing them as a means to bring us to God.  These fleeting pleasures are God’s gifts to us to help us know Him and love Him and grow closer to Him.  Yet tragically, we get so caught up in the gifts that we forget about the Giver.” – The Imitation of Mary by Fr. Quan Tran

“The problem is that most people pursue pleasures for themselves […]”

• Makes me think of the chapter we just endured as a nation during and post-Covid, where many people of faith claim to believe in Jesus and yet they condemn others. We have to step up and be the example of God’s love now, especially to those at Church who are serving politics over God. Politics are for pleasure and personal gain – God is for ALL.
• Reminds me of narcissists and manipulators in our spheres of influence, who claim to have power over you for their own pleasure and wants.
• Reminds me of those who have wronged us. We may never get to see how God brings the smackdown on them (earthly justice), but if we focus on our own lives and the gifts we receive from God, then trust, the smackdown has already been set in motion on those who have wronged you. They are never truly content and have a distorted perception of purpose. Plus, when we focus on what God has provided for us and give him credit for it all, forgiveness comes easily and the anger completely melts away “smooth like buttuh”.

“[…] instead of seeing them as a means to bring us to God.”

• Reminds me of people who ask and ask and ask for what they want, get what they want, and then treat others terribly (clearly missing the point of gratitude). What is the purpose of receiving in this life, for you?
• Reminds me of classic narcissism, just using the title of faith to “have” versus “be” changed by God. If you are Christian/Catholic, why do you believe in God? What’s the point? Is it for your benefit of some kind?
• When you look at the lives of your enemies, can you see God in the fruits of their lives?  Or do you just see material things, the things they wanted to obtain really badly? This will answer your question of whether someone has “everything they’ve ever wanted” or not.  For if one is truly resting in content, you will see God working in his/her life in every which way and there will be no feelings of competition or comparison. The same goes for us, when we put our lives under the microscope.

“[…] we forget about the Giver.”

• Reminds me of how many people are anti-God right now because of how badly people of faith have misrepresented God and His love.
• We forget about the Giver because we’ve been wounded in life or hurt by those who claim to represent Christ.
• Everything good we receive is from God (whether you believe in God or not, He is on your side and paving the pathways to be free). We only need to recognize His presence in every stage of life (good and bad). Try the Examen – spiritual exercise by St. Ignatius (see photo below for daily practice) to contemplate God’s presence in both the good and bad. The Examen helps us answer questions about where God is and how He operates, even when we are suffering.
• Reminds me of how people do not realize God created the supernatural AND the natural world – logically speaking, if He’s the creator then He only wants to be one with us. Do we have it in us to recognize His love and power? God will meet you where you are and fill your tank up the rest of the way, all you need to do is be open to it.
• What does our day look like when we give thanks to God – when we acknowledge HIM as The Giver versus something else or someone else?  Do we give God the credit?  If God is God, then nothing else can be higher. He is the only one powerful enough to freely Give with no strings attached. When other entities “give” there is always a price to pay (that is NOT love). When we accept gifts with strings attached, a part of our soul goes into hiding, or for some it is overtaken by things like pride, power, greed, evil (to read more about discernment of spirits, click Here.) When we are reunited with God, our soul is made whole again, feelings of “everything feels right in the world” take over (like long-lasting endorphins). This kind of peace is a FREE gift from God; you do not have to be “holier than thou” or “worthy” – that’s the beautiful, merciful truth about God. The Sacrament of Reconciliation/Confession keeps us in a state of being able to receive God, being open to Him. This sacrament heals us (physically and spiritually); it is a grace given by God during the sacrament. People often refer to Confession as a mini-excorcism and many come out of the confessional booth crying with tears of relief from incredible amounts of inner pain completely removed & healed. God’s love simply softens our hearts making us readily open to accept Him over ourselves.

Happiness is a part of JOY.  Joy is being filled with hope and love, even amidst the most tragic times of life.  We are saved from living in despair, when we have Joy. Joy allows us to embrace hope even when at our lowest point.  A life of fear is not a life of joy. A life of fear indicates a lack of trust in God or a lack of surrendering to something more powerful than ourselves.  Happiness is a byproduct of accepting Joy.  When we give thanks to God, we are filled with JOY.  This joy adds up and gets stronger and stronger as we move out of our own way more and more and yield to the paradox of a life of happiness and suffering, fueled by JOY. As in, the kind of suffering God allows is purely to grow stronger in union with Him. Suffering without God feels like actual hell on earth – that kind of suffering is self-inflicted from refusing to let God in. As in, He is not punishing us, we just are only operating at a human level, without His help.  Eventually, once we learn we need God, there is only one thing we serve and one thing we belong to.  Imagine two pools: one with God and one with No God.  Life with God (with Hope), versus life without God (life without Hope).  So then, is it so crazy to believe in Hope?  Or is it more human to have hope? To want it, to need it? We were made this way. That is why many are suffering today, they feel hopeless and refuse to turn to the source of ETERNAL hope. There is only one source for Hope, which comes from Joy, which comes from accepting suffering as a means to grow in more union with God.  If you tried to go through life without hope, tried to rely only on the numbers (which was the first half of my life) … even the numbers eventually reveal the one true source for long-lasting Hope. This kind of Hope is supernatural and supernaturally obtained as well. One eventually figures out that Hope is needed in order to be happy and that we were made to activate Hope so others could have it too.

Thank you God for creating an “out” for us, a way back to you. No matter how far I go, I can always come back to you and feel you in my midst. There is NOTHING that can keep me away from you – if I want to be with you I can be with you. Why would God have had to send a human into our world; both human and divine? Jesus was either a lunatic, an evil, ego-tripped person OR He was and is God (as Bishop Barron always points out). Dive into each option and see if the Giver is God or not. When we really contemplate Jesus (God entering our world as a human), we finally see how supernatural and powerful God is and the lengths He knew He had to go to bring us all back into loving unity with Him (salvation). People often think the word “salvation” refers to a condescending aspect of God rescuing us. It is the exact opposite – we already belonged to Him. In reuniting with Him, we simply find eternal peace and rest. We have to get over ourselves to fully embrace such a concept. I get it. I, too, mostly relied on my talents and what I had going for me in life. But that will only take you so far. Their is a cap on happiness when that is the only route you see or believe in. It takes some real time and pondering, but what else have you got to lose? If you can contemplate philosophy, you can contemplate Jesus as God. Is it that threatening to ponder?

God is the hopeful current we pray to when everything else has completely failed us. He’s that tiny glimmer of hope – but why do we have access to this glimmer of hope in the first place? Why is it there for us to dive into if we wish to in the first place? If God came into our world and conquered despair, then we have 100% access already within us to Hope, Joy and union with God. We do not need a burning bush anymore, a loud voice from the sky. None of that worked. God HAD TO cosmically come into our world and break the laws of death (hence, the resurrection). How rad is that?! This the most supreme, supernatural (yet tangible) evidence we have on Earth in human history and points to another realm we can all admit we feel and even see sometimes on a daily basis. When you dive into such a belief, your entire perspective permanently CHANGES. When we tap into such a belief, nothing in this world can ever take you down. Nothing can defeat you. Nothing can take away what you have already been GIVEN by God.

With Courageous Hope & Joy,
Diane