The life of a Marian hermit of Jesus is one of a living prayer that is both ordinary and extraordinary at the same time.
Ordinary because it offers Jesus through Mary, all of the very ordinary moments and happenings that occur throughout the day, the good and the not so good, all the ups and downs, including each human joy, sorrow, fault, and failing.
Every heartbeat, every breath belongs to God and is offered to Jesus, through Mary, with love, morning noon and night in the prayer of thought, word, aspirations and daily chores from the weakness and frailty of our human hearts.
This same life is extraordinary too, simply because the Love that Our Heavenly Father bears for each one of us is extraordinary.
He, who is all powerful, and infinitely Merciful, stoops from Heaven to earth, to lovingly accept the imperfect offering of our living prayer. He graciously accepts the offering of every heartbeat and every breath from our outstretched hands, pressing them to His Heart with Love, as though we had offered Him treasures of great value .
No matter how you define yourself along life’s journey, whether you are a believer or an agnostic, know this,Jesus loves you, and invites you to converse with Him, simply because He Loves you.
If you are unaware of His Love today then perhaps tomorrow you will grow to experience it, and if not tomorrow, then one day soon. His Love for you is real! His Love will break through whatever barrier surrounds you, because His love for you is far stronger than any barrier.
No matter who you are, whether you are a saint or a sinner,know this; the Creator who created you and formed you in the womb Loves you with a Love that knows no end.
God makes His sun to shine on the just and unjust alike. His rain falls on both the saint and the sinner ~ God is Love and He Loves without end. In His Love He reaches out to each one of us with a call to come follow Him.
It is God’s call, His invitation to us, that creates a path to holiness for all of us, even in the most arid of earthly wildernesses. Along this path, Jesus leads the way, inviting us to love each other in the same way as He loves us.
So what is this call, this invitation that He individually extends to each one of us? How do we hear Him? How do we receive His invitation?
The answer to all these questions lies in us taking the time to listen to Him in the silence of our hearts, for it is only there, in prayer, that we will hear Him say to each and every one of us, “Come follow me”.
Each invitation is personal, and each path is uniquely engineered by God to meet the needs of the person chosen to walk it with Him. Search your heart for God’s calling, His invitation to you, and joyfully follow the path along which He leads you, because in following Jesus, you will find true peace.
Prayer is simply the act of crying out to God from the depths of whatever earthly wilderness of heart that we find ourselves in, and listening for His response~ sometimes we have to take the time to shut down the noise of the distractions around us so that we can hear and visualize His words taking shape within us.
Saul on the road to Damascus was knocked off his horse by a bright light when Jesus called him. You too perhaps may feel that you have been knocked off the horse you were on, as you travel the road of life, especially if you have encountered many closed doors. Don’t lose heart because Jesus is holding your special door open for you.
Your life may lead you along a path through many doors and corridors, each doorway leading to a corridor along which you learn a skill or a lesson. Your journey may take you through several doors in order to find the door with the name plate upon which Jesus has engraved your name. Be patient if you find yourself walking such a journey through life in the company of Jesus. Each step along the way has a purpose.
Some people are called to live a vocation while others are called to live a vocation within a vocation while others still, may be chosen and called to live a vocation which branches forth from the fruits of having lived a number of vocations. God’s calling and the whisperings of His Spirit are His alone to gift and He gifts them to whomever He pleases, along what pathways He Wills for us to follow.
Sometimes God works through dramatic happenings, and sometimes too, He ever so gently plants the seed of His love, deep within us, watering it silently with His Grace, allowing it to germinate over time, until one day, we just know and understand His Word and joyfully follow Him. Jesus is saying to you the exact same words he said to His disciples, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19
Each vocation or calling is as unique as the person selected and chosen by God to live it’s path, and nobody in this world, apart from you can fulfill the vocation that God in His Love, calls you to fulfill.
Only you can say, yes or no to that calling. You are free to choose~ However, I recommend that you respond to Our Heavenly Father’s call after taking the time to discern the gift of the vocation that He has entrusted to you. Sometimes the gift may appear too large a gift for you to handle, and your first instinct may be to run away, but remember that you are not called to open and explore this gift alone, Jesus is with you and whatever you are too weak to do, He can and will do for you. You are not alone.
So wherever you are, along your journey, know that you are chosen and loved by God, right here, right now, in this moment, and I pray that God Bless you, moment by moment, each day, in His Merciful Love as you discern the calling and path that Jesus has called you to walk with Him.
