Wednesday, December 19, 2018

Our holy desires are gifts from God (Fr. James Martin)


  Desire is a key way that God speaks to us, whether in Advent or the rest of the year.  Our holy desires are gifts from God.

  Holy desires are different than surface wants, like, I want a new smartphone or I want a bigger office.  Instead I’m talking about our deepest longings, those that shape our lives:  desires that help us know who we are to become and what we are to do.  Our deep longings help us know God’s desires for us, and how much God desires to be with us.  And God, I believe, encourages us to notice and name these desires.  Expressing our desires brings us into closer relationship with God.  Not naming them sets up a barrier.  It would be like never telling your best friend your innermost thoughts.  Your friend would remain distant.  When we tell God our desires, our relationship with God deepens.

  The deepest-held longings of our hearts are our holy desires.  Not only desires for physical healing,… but also the hope for change, for growth, for a fuller life… They are also one way that God fulfills God’s own dreams for the world, by calling people to certain tasks. 

  Desire is a key part of Christian spirituality because desire is a key way that God’s voice is heard in our lives.  And our deepest desire, planted within us, is our Advent desire for Christ, the Desire of the Nations.

--Fr. James Martin, Advent is About Desire


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