WYD: Papal Love #3 - The Lord
Now that we are three years into the Benedict XVI papacy, he has enough of a track record to get sense of what is on his mind.
His words pierced my heart. I want to have some truth telling. I have been in a tough stretch in my faith. I have written this before, but the dialogue between science and faith is constantly running in my head. The "new atheists," such as Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins, are very, very aggressive in their attacks on believers in general and Christians in particular. I grapple with their arguments and seek the right answers to their critique of our faith. Honestly, it has gotten to me. To make matters worse it has been really hard to get my prayer time in. Prayer time — that sounds so clinical. I haven't been spending time in intimacy with the Lord.
But I have seen a man in love with the Lord. Through my three encounters with him at World Youth Day, reading his encyclicals as pope, and reading his books prior to being pope — it is so powerful how much he believes that God is Love (that's the title of his first encyclical). He is as brilliant as any of the "new atheists." The difference between them and him is that he has had an encounter with Love and yearns for everyone to have an encounter with Love. He wants us to spend time in personal prayer to have our spirits to mix with Love. He believes in the power of personal, contemplative prayer. He believes the Holy Spirit will speak to one who opens her/his heart to being touched by Love. Can we cue Sacred Silence? :)
After hearing His Holiness, I reflected on my own experience. When I was in my early 20's, I was young and zealous and I had the luxury of time! Now I'm married, with responsibilities . . . and with a commute. The long, lingering encounters with the Lord have become short stints of praise. But the pope's love for the Lord and his urging for us to spend time in intimacy with God who is Love has inspired me. Love, as in a marriage, is precious and it to be sought with everything in our being.
Thank you, Your Holiness, let's join hands and run towards Love together.
Read all of Robert's WYD Spirit Spots:
