Take 5…with Jesus
One of our Sisters describes how she arrived home late one night after work and crashed on her bed. She was tired physically and felt restless interiorly. By all appearances, it looked like she had everything that she wanted in life—the job she had worked hard for, the friends she desired—yet still felt unsatisfied and knew she was keeping God at arm’s length. She turned to the Lord in that moment and began to surrender one by one every desire in her heart—by the end of this honest prayer, she felt like she had been gutted out. Yet in that moment of silence and stillness, the Lord finally had the space to speak, and a thought swept across her heart: “I want you for myself.” In this moment of surrender, she felt an immense peace and a deep resounding yes cry forth from within—“yes.” With this consent, she experienced a large weight lift. The stress of trying to figure out who she was was no longer resting on her- “I was found, and I felt free, loved and deeply known in that yes to God.” All of a sudden, she sensed a desire to always listen to God’s will- her fear was removed because of the deep affirmation of His word to her- she knew who she was in the call He had created her for.
Are you willing to surrender everything to Jesus today? Whether it’s a time of vocational discernment or not, we all need to renew our surrender Him. The invitation from Jesus is this: will you trust Me more?
Take 5 minutes (or more!) to be with Jesus today. Make another surrender to Him. You won’t regret it.
5 Minute Surrender Meditation
- Find a quiet place where you are alone with Jesus.
- Close your eyes. Open your hands.
- Pray, “Come Holy Spirit. Come through Mary.”
- Now imagine Jesus sitting before you. Let Him look at you. Don’t look away. Just sit with Him in silence for a few moments. What does it feel like? How does He look at you? Do you see His loving gaze?
- Jesus puts His hands out. He’s ready to receive your burdens, your cares, your desires.
- One by one, imagine placing everything from your heart into His hands. There is no rush. Take your time.
- Once you are completely empty, let go. Rest in the silence. Don’t be afraid of the vulnerability. Wait. Give Him a chance to receive and respond—through His gaze, a gesture, a word…enjoy your time with Him and let Him enjoy His time with you.
Close with gratitude and a prayer of trust to Jesus, like “Jesus, I surrender myself to You. Take care of everything.” (See “Surrender Novena” below, by Fr. Dolindo)
Be assured of our prayers, in Christ, our Life
