Recycling Rationale

"The order established by God and His divine will are the life of the soul no matter in what way they work, or are obeyed. Whatever connection the divine will has with the mind, it nourishes the soul, and continually enlarges it by giving it what is best for it at every moment. It is neither one thing nor another which produces these happy effects, but what God has willed for each moment"- Abandonment to Divine Providence, by Jean Pierre de Caussade

Experiencing deja vu? Feel like you've seen quotes from this book from me before? Yup. That's because you have.

When I returned to DC almost two years ago after my year in the convent, my then "new" spiritual director, recommended this book to me and it became my second Bible.

I will recycle and revisit books time and again, but I must say, I wasn't thinking I'd have to revisit this one so soon.

Now it is SPRING and it is a BIG WEEK and it is still EASTER. So I REFUSE to be a Debbie Downer (whomp whah!)

Reduce, Re(f)use, Recycle?

I will simply say it seems I need to be reminded again that God gives us all that we need in the present and I have to unite my mind to His Divine Will. That's all.

My friend, women's group co-founder, and fellow blogger recently posted something on her blog that I found very heartbreaking, but also comforting. She has been struggling with infertility and God's Will in all of that. Her response to the many years of pain and prayer is: "Jesus, I trust in You".

It gets harder to say with years of embracing the mystery and no immediate results, but it is a beautiful release at the same time.

My same friend recently made a pilgrimmage to Lourdes and Rome and she shared her journey with us at last women's prayer group meeting. It was more than just a presentation on a trip, but truly an encounter with the larger, universal Church and her prayer- what a pilgrimmage should be! And it was just what I needed to snap me out of my personal funk and see that God is at work through the Church and Her history (despite what recent events might lead us to believe. Not to detract from the pretty awful things going on in some parts of the world, but there is also alot of good still going on. I loved reading recently this address to young people from The Holy Father).

Anyways, it's not just about what He is doing in MY life. Go figure! ;)

God is so much bigger than the limits I have been putting on Him! And still it is in the small things that He reaches out to us. He reveals His great power in humility, even though He could do it in much larger ways. I have to remember that. He CAN do all things, GREAT things! But He chooses to be close to us often in the small things (ie- the Eucharist!)

Along with the witness of my friend and the encounter with the Church at large to snap me out of my inward reflection...this is a great week! So much going on! I work for an org that promotes volunteering and this week is National Volunteer Week. It is also Earth Day on Thursday, which happens to also be my 29th birthday! (I am holding onto the last year of my twenties...there will be some re-visiting/recycling venues and practices that were upheld in my early twenties, which I am looking forward to!)

On the volunteer front, I volunteer weekly at a fine arts center, but I have been recalling lately my larger mission experiences like time in Guatemala and my year with NET. (Perhaps it was all the attractive foreign service men I met on Friday, along with a couple Peace Corps volunteers- call me! Sigh. Nothing more beautiful than a man who has given a year or two in service to others ;)

But NO ;) It's the call to step outside myself and give myself to something bigger that I am re-calling.

And I will continue to recycle prayers it seems for at least the time being ;)

Peace,
Julia

For resources on National Volunteer Week go here
(ps- I'm not in a habit of getting my news from USA Today, just saying! But I thought the article was concise. You can also go to servicenation.org

For some Earth Day resources check here