AccountDeleted Posted August 8, 2015 Share Posted August 8, 2015 I think we all relate to God in a different way. He told Gabrielle Bossis (Church approved mystic) that if someone needs Him to be their Father, He will be... Or a Friend, or a Spouse. He relates to each soul in a unique way. Funny, He told that to me too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarysLittleFlower Posted August 8, 2015 Share Posted August 8, 2015 (edited) Hehe :D. I found that idea very comforting because at some point I was really unsure if Jesus is ok with how I relate to Him. He truly knows what our hearts need. Edited August 8, 2015 by MarysLittleFlower Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HopefulHeart Posted August 8, 2015 Share Posted August 8, 2015 Praying with Scripture and treating prayer as a conversation with Jesus have helped me to development a personal relationship with the Lord and to recognize His voice. In His infinite love, the Lord wants to get to know each of us in the most intimate way possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarysLittleFlower Posted August 8, 2015 Share Posted August 8, 2015 Gabriela you might get as many answers as there are souls Since each one has a unique way of knowing Jesus Oh new thought maybe its like - we know God not just by how He communicates but by giving ourselves in love and Him giving Himself to us. Its very Eucharistic and personal. But .. I'm not sure how to explain it .. Maybe a smarter person knows how :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spem in alium Posted August 8, 2015 Share Posted August 8, 2015 (edited) A true relationship is based on trust, honesty, the ability to listen, openness, and respect, among other things. God holds all these things in regard to us. He is always and completely present. When we respond in these ways - in showing Him we trust Him, in being honest with Him, in listening, in being open to His guidance, and respecting Him, then I believe we cultivate a true relationship. I have had several deep encounters with God. One of the most memorable occurred when I was walking home one afternoon. This to me is a sign that God really does seek us out in every moment, and in the humdrum of everyday life. Personally, for me God is not at all invisible or silent. He's constantly speaking, but not always in ways I expect or would anticipate. Edited August 8, 2015 by Spem in alium Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarysLittleFlower Posted August 8, 2015 Share Posted August 8, 2015 If God does seem silent to a person, what could help? I mean at times we all experience that. I liked what St Therese said about Jesus sleeping and not wanting to wake Him was it St Therese? Someone said it for sure. We can just love Him in that silence. However of course its normal to want a more noticeable relationship. I found for me at times the cause of silence was distrust, and other times I don't know. It can also just be a trial and actually help in our growth . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beatitude Posted August 8, 2015 Share Posted August 8, 2015 If God does seem silent to a person, what could help? I mean at times we all experience that. I liked what St Therese said about Jesus sleeping and not wanting to wake Him was it St Therese? Someone said it for sure. We can just love Him in that silence. However of course its normal to want a more noticeable relationship. I found for me at times the cause of silence was distrust, and other times I don't know. It can also just be a trial and actually help in our growth . Mother Teresa was once asked by a reporter what she said to God in prayer. She replied, "I listen." When the reporter asked what God was telling her, she replied, "He's listening too." I don't think silence is necessarily even a trial. When my best friend visited me (we live in separate countries now) we didn't spend every moment of our time together. But even when she was writing in her room and I was happily drinking tea in the garden I knew she was about somewhere, and it was enough. When you are very close to someone you don't have to talk all the time. This is a poor analogy, because with God silence is much more than that - after all, it wasn't earthquake and fire that took Elijah to the mouth of the cave, but "the sound of sheer silence". I still get goosebumps when I read that scripture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AccountDeleted Posted August 8, 2015 Share Posted August 8, 2015 I'm with beatitude on this. God is IN the silence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarysLittleFlower Posted August 8, 2015 Share Posted August 8, 2015 I see what you mean that sometimes we can be with God and just be silent with Him. I like doing that in Adoration sometimes. I realise I meant something else, more like spiritual desolation where you can't seem to find God in the first place. Then its just faith I believe He allows that for a reason though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AccountDeleted Posted August 8, 2015 Share Posted August 8, 2015 I see what you mean that sometimes we can be with God and just be silent with Him. I like doing that in Adoration sometimes. I realise I meant something else, more like spiritual desolation where you can't seem to find God in the first place. Then its just faith I believe He allows that for a reason though. I mean, He literally is in the silence. He IS the silence. "Be still and know that I am God." You are seeking Him when He is already there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarysLittleFlower Posted August 8, 2015 Share Posted August 8, 2015 That's true, He's still there I think St John wrote how in desolation the person isn't aware of God because God is acting in some way that we aren't able to perceive where we are spiritually. (He was speaking of dark nights though not dryness that is due to lack of prayer or unrepented sin) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AccountDeleted Posted August 8, 2015 Share Posted August 8, 2015 (edited) Actually a 'dark night' isn't always about desolation. A good book to read to understand John better is St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross' (Edith Stein) last work, 'The Science of the Cross'. A lot of people get confused about desolation and dark night. Plus, a good understanding of desolation can be found in books on Ignatian spirituality, and the introduction to the discernment of spirits. http://www.ignatianspirituality.com/making-good-decisions/discernment-of-spirits/introduction-to-discernment-of-spirits Edited August 8, 2015 by nunsense Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarysLittleFlower Posted August 8, 2015 Share Posted August 8, 2015 Interesting thanks! I seem to recall prayer of quiet can involve a passive purification like a dark night though there's no sense of God's absense .. Something like that or no? (Maybe I got something confused .. Its all really deep) By the way the rule of discernment in that link is good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AccountDeleted Posted August 8, 2015 Share Posted August 8, 2015 Interesting thanks! I seem to recall prayer of quiet can involve a passive purification like a dark night though there's no sense of God's absense .. Something like that or no? (Maybe I got something confused .. Its all really deep) By the way the rule of discernment in that link is good! It's not a good idea (in my opinion) to try to simplify John's work into bite size pieces but rather, to digest and savor it as a whole meal that takes time to enjoy. You could be reading him for decades and still spend time trying to understand him. He was a giant. A priest who writes well about St John, and who makes him palatable and easier to absorb is Father Iain Matthew. If you haven't read it, The Impact of God is a good one: http://www.amazon.com/The-Impact-God-Soundings-Paperbacks/dp/0340612576 Here is Father Iain playing around at one of the Carmels where I lived. I asked him to be my spiritual director but he was focused on his writing at that time. I did get to read his PhD thesis though - it was on the hypothesis of whether or not Jesus went through what St John described as the Dark Night of the Soul. Very heavy reading but fascinating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarysLittleFlower Posted August 8, 2015 Share Posted August 8, 2015 (edited) Haven't heard of Fr Iain before! What is he up to in the picture? Haha... by the way I've only read parts of Dark Night Of The Soul but I have St John's collected works Someday planning to read it I started with the poems Edit: Looks like a good book! Edited August 8, 2015 by MarysLittleFlower Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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