Stumbling?
SEQUEL: Our Divine Lover's Unrequited Desire to Embrace Us
Photo By: Flickr/Eddy Mulyono
Read Part I What Does Our Divine Lover Have to Do to Allow His Embrace?
The activity and proclamations go on before, during and after Jesus attempts to commune with each of his beloved ones at the reception of his total Self in the Eucharist. This short time is over and it is time for our Divine Lover to go back to his room without any real embrace; without a word of love together; without a deep look into each others eyes; without communing. But Jesus does not give up on us and he does not give up on his desires for us. He waits patiently in the tabernacle all day and all night long.
Alas, this too is an unrequited love when those who know him come to spend time with him in the special places where he stays for the beloved ones do come to his room for a visit.
The long awaited, beloved visitor comes in but may only glances at her patient lover from across the room because she is busy reading her books, continuing her personal processions to the wooden crucifix and statues so as to check off her lists because that is what she must always do. It looks just like that familiar way of human visiting these days that while physically in the company of a friend she is texting someone else. Of course, Jesus doesn't mind waiting while his visitor talks to his mother, knowing that his mother only wants to get them together. He is hoping that soon they can be quietly alone together, too. He knows that his beloved one has gone to quite a bit of trouble to visit with him in his special room, but she just does not stop what she is doing in order for him to visit with her.
Yet, he waits, like the 'mad lover' that he is who never gives up his desire to commune with his beloved one no matter how consistently she ignores his intentions. He continues to beckon her to the embrace and to invite her to stay with him, even for one hour. Just as he did not recoil at the awkward brush-off that he usually receives when he gives himself completely to her, fully and physically Present, he still poises himself for the embrace spiritual communion and waits for her to return his embrace. He never stops looking for her to come to truly rest in his arms.
It is very rare, but sometimes she does come to his room with a weary and broken heart. She is unable to focus on her books and to check off her lists. She is incapable of doing anything but lying her head against his breast with sobs and silence. He relishes this trusting intimacy even though she comes to him only because of her incapacitation and only then allows herself to silently rest in the embrace of his arms. He does not ask her why she does not always receive his unconditional invitation to come so that he can give her rest and know him in his embrace.
What more does Jesus need to do to make us receive all that he wishes for us? He proclaimed this desire right after he gave the people around him a list of admonishments and woes. Yet, this is what he summarizes at the end in a very firm but pleading command:
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." MATTHEW 11: 28-30
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About the Author
Roberta Lambert is a newly 60, married, Catholic Lay Contemplative faithful to 100% of the official teachings of the Catholic Church and the Magisterium. Her focus is on the spiritual life as practiced by the recipe of the Carmelite Saints and Doctors of the Church and she is also an avid promoter of the ‘Public Revelation’ of Divine Mercy. She was a cradle Catholic but fell away, or rather, jumped into the abyss of a sinful and worldly life from age 20 to 30, until a truly miraculous conversion occurred 48 hours after putting on a Miraculous Medal purchased in a New Age Book store.
She retired her career as a Physician Assistant, after marrying at age 36, in order to fulfill her promise that she would home school any children that she might have and telling her future husband, “I will go to prison rather than send my children to school.”
Her volumes of written material are not publicly published other than on a new blog http://robertalambertblog.wordpress.com/ but it has always been targeted to providing assistance to those who struggle on the ‘Narrow Road’ in the Catholic spiritual life.
Because of disabling illness, with children who were also chronically ill, her experience is greatly influenced by way of "Total Abandonment to Divine Providence" which entails total entrustment to all that God has orchestrated by His perfect will in each and every "Present Moment" without exceptions.
The scriptural mandate for her life has never wavered from what Jesus, Himself, stated in reply to why He was born and why He came to earth – John 18:37 "… to testify to the TRUTH." Clarity in observing the World’s 180 degree departure from the Gospel comes mostly from her life of prayer which tends to clear away the great smog that has enveloped the world, also know as the dictator called, “Moral Relativism.”
John 18:37 “For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice."
