Spark of God

My reflection this time is my thoughts on what Mother Gavrilia said as written in a biography of her entitled “The Ascetic of Love”. This amazing book relates her opinion on some people whom the people considered as ‘bad people’. Below is what she said beautifully (pages 175-176).

[...these people are] Not just good... Angels! The heart never stops being good. You can see even a wrong doer having tears in his eyes at a given moment and saying: “Well now I still cannot understand how I did that”... This spark of God is inside us. It cannot be absent from any human being.

[...] Ah but there is nothing else! Take out the Spark of God, and we become living corpses. That breath, which God blew into us, is Love. Is it gone? Then we are like living dead walking about... Just think of it.

How beautiful and truthful these simple words are! And it struck me to realize that every saint living on this earth would adopt the same attitude. It’s neither out of compromise nor out of despair, rather, is always out of love. And that love transform and brings so powerful impact to a person, community and the world. Just like The Lord says, we are like sheep among the wolves. We could not be harmful: what we do is merely to love and love and love to the point that only Christ live in us.

Being Christian, as St. Seraphim of Sarov, we have such precious purpose namely to acquire the Spirit of Peace. When we acquire that, thousands around us shall be saved. Now, when I draw correlation line here between what blessed mother Gavrilia said and the one of St. Seraphim, it is clear that at any cost, we are called to live in God. By always keeping that spark, tending it, in such manner that Christ’s glory revealed through the very presence of Him in us.

That is how God sees us! And that is why we still live until today. It is merely by the mercy of God that He gives us his grace to come closer to him with every second passed. Yes, it is not automatic and smooth way to trod. Rather it is the way of the cross. We pass this path by constantly combating our darkness and hear His voice leading to the light.

So many times I whisper to myself in the moment of realization: “Hey, you take too much care for yourself: by living in indulgence of food, clothing, entertainment, etc. When will you start to learn caring for others as well?” Yes, it is so easy for me to be trapped into pursue of my own comfort. Once imagination one by one gratified, I feel drowned. However, I desire to be caring and hospitable, and to be helpful and loving. May the Lord help me.

When I come across this gem thought, it is that aha moment! The Spark of God. Yes, we humans are created for Him, in Him and through Him. God is the source, benefactor and the final. He is Alfa and Omega. What I need to do is to cling on Him always, with all I am, with my failure, weaknesses and everything. To pray unceasingly, to ask his mercy and help in every moment. That’s how we can start loving. First by living out that Spark of God, as dim as it has been, faithfully and with faith, and let God lead the way! Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner...

Do we desire...?

Some kind of sweetness in life could come unexpectedly. That comes to me today as I listen to the words of God being preached in the church. Christmas, the feast of the Nativity of The Lord is around the corner and I was just swollen by the streams of announcements, celebrations around it and etc. At some point it became too much that I could be easily forget in which manner The Lord came to us: in the silence and serenity, in humility and peace. I was suddenly touched by the reflection of How Panaghia Theotokos Maria keeps silent and store her reflections in this very moment like this.

Thus, today I am reminded of how Christ is Emmanuel, God who dwells among us or who is always with us. At the remembrance of this, I come to bow my head in contrition. He is with me, he is with us! I have heard that the phrase, “Don’t be afraid...” is one of the phrases very frequently assured by the Lord in the Scripture. And yet, that phrase is continually spoken to us until today.

So often, what makes us afraid in this world is because we don’t acknowledge God who is with us in whatever circumstances we are in. As a result, we can be easily driven by the avoidance of pain and pursue of temporary entertainment. We want this, and that, and yet we don’t find ourselves satisfied, rather we becomes so much dismayed and dejected.

God is with us! Do we desire Him? Let us not forget the history of his people; of Israel which becomes eternal lesson for us. When they acknowledged and trusted Him, and followed His commands, they were victorious and valiant, but when they became hard-hearted and despised His words, they became the most miserable nation in this world.

We constantly need Christ to be with us. For it is His own blessed lips which say: “without Me you can do nothing.” It is His own presence which becomes fortress and blessing when we are living here and now. Thus, what else can we desire? Let us say with our heart together with Blessed and Glorious David, “As a deer panteth for the water, so my soul long after Thee.”  

When we totally acknowledge Him and trust Him in every second of our life, nothing shall make us afraid or anxious. Our life is in His Merciful Hands. What we need to do is simply look on Him and listen to His commands. For, “They who loves Me do My commandments.” All other things are added, as essential as they are. He is Good Father who knows what His children need.
Yet, honestly it is my own old self which easily failed me. Thus, at anytime, I cannot trust my own strength and understanding. Rather, always calling out to Him, “Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner,” in every possible moment, for I know nothing of my own power could accomplish anything.

What a joy! What strength! A reflection on how God is really with us! The moment you are reading this, God takes care of you and loves you. Let us by our repentance moment by moment, opening our hearts and minds to the abundance of His grace and to acknowledge His gentle Hands to lead us to life. Let us never exhausted to offer our life and to learn as unworthy as we are to love God back.
Glory to God for all things! 

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