Reflection: My wife was watching an episode of “Call the Midwife” in which an elderly nun confesses, with deep distress, that she doesn’t hear God’s voice anymore and that she feels as if she has lost her faith. I pondered for a while, what I might say to the elderly nun (after giving her a hug). Perhaps, something like this:
“If you can’t experience God’s love right now, experience my love. I can imagine that your heart is breaking over the loss of a relationship that was once so vital and precious.
“May I gently say this: your spiritual state does not just depend on you, it also depends on God’s hold of you. He has known what to say to you for all the years you have been a Christian and will not be lost for words in the days ahead. God will communicate with you again, but perhaps not immediately. Like a gardener who withholds water to encourage plant roots to grow deeper, so too God can let us face the scorching winds of doubt so that we will grow our faith deeper into him… and become more resilient.”
Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, your love is relentless, as is your passion to present us to the Father as people who are mature and ready for your kingdom. I simply want to say: have your way in my life, Lord.