Joy Of My Heart


Mary Jo Loebig, O.C.D.

Joy of My Heart is a reflection taken from The Joy of Full Surrender from the writings of Jean Pierre de Caussade. The current sharing of this is from Michael Casey who has brought into light the different aspects of this small book.

The inviting aspect of this little book is being able to open the book at any one spot and find therein material for spiritual reading and prayer. For example, one can spontaneously open the book at random and read the following: “We have only to open our heart, and God will act.” Later in the book, we find an interesting comment worded as follows: “Not Knowing Where the Road Will Lead.” These are merely interesting samples of many others.


God’s Action Forever New


There is another comment on Page 95 which follows: “God’s action is forever new. It never retraces its steps but always marks out new paths.” Later, it is mentioned that God leads us step by step. A comment that many readers favor is as follows: “The very thing I searched for everywhere, incessantly searched for me and gave itself to me.” This is a sample of what the book is like.

To our surprise, as we pondered the beauty of Spring, we came to a new insight that of “Heaven beginning in us.” We found that if a person readily studies the writings of Karl Rahner, one rather quickly comes to a new insight involving the meaning of resurrection. Just as there is the resurrection of Jesus, Fr. Rahner points out that we, too, may have a personal resurrection, an Easter happening within us any time. He speaks of God who is rising within us, and changing us.


Heaven Begun In Us


Our own personal “resurrection” means that heaven has begun in us. Gradually, as we allow ourselves to enter into resurrection more deeply, we can ask ourselves just how we may have changed as we have come nearer to the Lord and our true self. We ask, “How have I changed? Who is my true self?

Through the grace of God and the gift of my innermost resurrection, gradually, I become who I am, embraced by God.

 


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