The associated reading for this reflection can be found in your Every Sacred Sunday Mass journal or online here.
Before I gave birth to my twin boys last fall, my mornings were quiet. I cherished my time with God, making coffee and thumbing through devotionals and daily readings. Many mornings I would drive to daily Mass, lingering in the pews afterwards to pour out my heart to the Father. Motherhood came in like a wrecking ball to my prayer life; the ease of daily mass and morning prayer journaling abruptly halted.
Many nights, prayer is a desperate plea, glancing at the Sacred Heart picture in my twin’s nursery after hours of rocking. "Please God, help him to sleep." Or on cozy evenings, the boys sitting on my husband’s and my lap, freshly bathed and reading stories, a heart spilling over with gratitude. "Thank you Lord, for this precious family of mine. You are so good."
Today’s readings speak of “abundant flowers” blooming in the desert, of a farmer who “waits for the precious fruit of the earth.” Some days, I feel like I’m in a spiritual desert. I long for the nourishing stillness of an Adoration chapel, or the comfort of a Scriptural Rosary. Those daily rhythms were my anchor in the choppy waves of life’s hardships. However, I have to remind myself, there is great holiness in this season of life, as different as it looks spiritually from my previous season. God still calls me to sacrifice for others, and to bear His image. The same is true for you- there is holiness in your season, even if it’s busy or messy. God longs to meet you right where you are.
What does prayer look like for me in this blurry season of early motherhood when I barely find time to shower and get the laundry done? Where does God want to meet me, today, this week? I have spoken to wise, faithful friends and priests about this, and the answer seems to be that God desires my heart, and He is pleased with my efforts to spend time with Him.
What does prayer look like to you, right now, in this season? Do you need to let go of the expectations of what prayer looked like before? How does God want to meet you, right here and now?
LORD, show me where you want to meet me today. Open my heart to Your presence, and show me Your face.
