Cardinal Sarah says that “This is the silence of eternity, the union of the soul with God.”

First thing that came to mind was the mansion mentioned in John chapter 14 and how that mansion could me my heart. The room that can, should be filled with God but isn’t always. Being in union with God means being one with God and aligning my will with his, regardless of my expectations. We become one with God when we participate in the sacraments where we have a person encounter with him. That is what it means to participate, not just simple go to go, but be one with God in that moment, then take him with you when you go home.

What I understand Cardinal Sarah to mean is that we can encounter God every day in the silence of our hearts allowing him to simple love us. We become one with God when we find and see God in ALL things.

Take away; Cardinal Sarah talks about mortifying ourselves, adoring and loving him to become one with him. I challenge you to pick one of these three things and practicing that act for Love of God. Maybe even make it part of your Lenten practice.

Often the purpose of our suffering remains a mystery to us. Jesus showed us the power of divine love and how powerful suffering can be. As Richard Rohr said, let our wounds become sacred wounds. It was said of St John Paul II that “he found the strength to transform his righteous rage into a fiery, divine love. The pain he encountered opened an immense spiritual depth in him.” His strength was Jesus. 

Today Cardinal Sarah talks about many of the Saints experienced the intense love of God. The further they ascended in his presence the mor intense it got.

The extreme size and scale of God’s love is unbelievable, but we can be immersed in his love or in disappear because we are afraid of that immensity, and we doubt it sometimes. Exodus chapter 17 is about Moses and the in the desert “the people grumbled against Moses” why because they did not have water. They could not fathom why Moses had taken them out into the desert to suffer, but in God’s immensity and love for his people he instructed Moses and there you go, they had water.

For me, walking into the kitchen I can find my glass of water. Sometimes the distractions of this world lead me into another room, and I never get my glass of water. But it was more than water that God gave them. He was trying to show them how extreme his love is!

God’s love and power cannot be measured. We get so wrapped up in the grand things in life, and the prayers that were not answered, that we fail to see the miracles in our daily life. We grumble about what wasn’t done and fail to see what was.

When I come to him with a sincere heart I can easily get lost in that grand space of his love!

Take away; Do you see how immense God’s love is for you in the simple things in life, like providing water?

As humans we have a need to understand the meaning of suffering. Knowing there is a purpose makes it a bit easier to deal with suffering. Mary may not have known the exact purpose for her son’s suffering, but she was able to trust God and knew He had a purpose for it. While most answers to the meaning of suffering are inadequate, St John Paul II encourages us to look to Jesus. “Divine love is the ultimate meaning for everything that exists.” 

In this paragraph Cardinal Sarah is talking about being our true homeland and that is with God and when we are in the presence of God in our hearts we are separated from this earth.

This reminds me of John 14 where Jesus comforts his disciples and tells them “My Father’s house has many rooms”, this passage is common at funerals to remind us that we inherit eternal life through Jesus at Calvary. Our homeland is not on earth, we are simply passing through, with the ultimate goal is to dwell with God for eternity in his Homeland. We meet this homeland at mass, where heaven and earth are united.

I remember the first time I expected the feeling of being one with God. It was after a long time of feeling unworthy and not feeling the presence of God in my heart. No matter how much I tried and how much I longed for the feeling it just wasn’t there. Anyway, I was attending morning Mass at St. Gregory several times a week before going to work. I had a vision of the Blessed Mother in the garden of Our Lady of Guadalupe. I heard her calling to me and telling me that God was with me in my trials. I felt so much peace at that moment. I feel like that is what Cardinal Sarah is trying to tell us. That when we feel that joy we don’t ever want to go back to the emptiness that we feel when we think only of this world.

Take away; Are you living for this world or are you striving to reach your ultimate homeland to dwell with God for all eternity?

Suffering can challenge our level of trust, especially our trust in God. However, suffering can be an opportunity to allow our trust to reach a new level with those close to us, with those in our community and with God. We can help each other grow in trust and therefore faith in God.

Suffering can easily bring us to a point where we feel like giving up. Surrender is not giving up, but rather giving over to God. God is already present in our suffering. Realizing this, we can be encouraged to surrender and thus allow God to be fully immersed in our suffering. In surrender, the fruits of the Holy Spirit such as joy and peace are present.

Cardinal Sarah says, I do not think it possible to approach God’s majesty without trembling in dread and astonishment.  This brings to mind the gift of Fear of the Lord, which is being aware of the awe and wonder, the astonishment that is our Powerful God.  Fear of the Lord creates a deep reverence in our hearts towards God.    I think Cardinal Sarah  touches on fear vs fear of the Lord.  Silence can frighten us, because it may take us places we are scared to go, memories, past experiences, etc.  but for me, I think God brings these things to the surface so that He can heal them.  In silence we can grow in the gift of Fear of the Lord, grow in a greater awe of our God, a greater reverence of Him.  Love drowns out fear, so when we grow in Fear of the Lord, our fears of the world dissipate.

The Brave Little Soul described by John Alessi volunteers to go into the world and suffer to unlock love for the good of all humanity. People gave their hearts while caring for the Brave Little Soul and lives were changed forever. The world was a better place.

Cardinal Sarah describes how man find it difficult to be in silence and that used to be true for me. Not hard to be alone or without noise but to be alone in my head. Then silence was forced upon me when my children left the nest, and with a husband who works all the time, I was home alone, and it was REALLY quiet. I lived with the TV or radio on, anything to drawn out the silence. That is until one Lent I gave up noise. That was not easy but so rewarding. I learned to embrace the silence and I love it!
Cardinal Sarah used the analogy of the skiff being pushed into a shore that is still feared, feared because of it was on unfamiliar land. That is what silence was for me until I became familiar with the land and realized how beautiful it was. Because I was not alone on that skiff, Jesus is with me.
Jeremiah 17 says “I, the Lord, alone probe the mind and test the heart,” Jeremiah is challenging us to get out in the skiff and allow the Lord to transform our hearts, especially during the scariest time of our lives.
Take away; if God were to probe your mind and test your heart, what would he find? Would he find you fitting the silence because it was difficult for you, or would he find you embracing it. Embrace it..it is beautiful.