Friday, October 25, 2024

Glimpsing God's invitation (Fr. James Martin)

What do you want me to do for you? 

--Jesus to Bartimaeus, Mark 10:51 

   Sometimes in life, you might find yourself lacking the desire for something that you want to desire. Let's say you are living in a comfortable world with scant contact with the poor. You may say, "I know I'm supposed to want to live simply and work with the poor, but I have no desire to do this." Perhaps you know that you should want to be more generous, more loving, more forgiving, but don't desire it. How can you pray for that with honesty? 

   In reply, Ignatius would ask, "Do you at least have the desire for this desire?" Even if you don't want it, do you want to want it? Do you wish that you were the kind of person that wanted this? Even this can be seen as an invitation from God. It is a way of glimpsing God's invitation even in the faintest traces of desire. 

   Because desire is a key way God speaks to us. 

--Fr. James Martin 

Image source: https://loandbeholdbible.com/2019/06/12/the-healing-of-bartimaeus-mark-1046-52/
Quotation source

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