Let Him

Today is Candlemas. Of course, there is no Mass, not public anyway. So, my new big fat candle will be unblessed, for the time being. However, I was able to spend some time in private prayer in the church this afternoon. Even though it’s Tuesday I prayed the Joyful Mysteries because it’s also the Feast of the Presentation.

I had every intention of consecrating myself to Jesus through St. Joseph today. I’ve spent the last 33 days preparing but I am going to wait until March 19*. As I finished the final daily reading, I started thinking about all the other consecrations I’ve done. The first one was to Mary in 2016. Then to Divine Mercy later on that year. Last year it was to God the Father. I had to dig out all my prep books for the dates so then of course I had to start flipping through them and reading my notes and what I had underlined.

In one of the books by Fr. Gaitley, that isn’t necessarily a consecration prep, I found the following phrase highlighted; to let Him love you.

To let Him.

To give Him permission and an invitation into your heart and mind to love you just as you are.

How often do we not do that?

During my prayer time today, I tried to consider that phrase. I had been so busy singing (under my breath) and praying the rosary that after 40 minutes of all that noise I found the silence deafening. And difficult. I was literally squirming. How much energy have I spent on filling that space? All with good intentions, of course. But how can I hear Him when I’m so busy talking?

Yes, there is a time for vocal prayer, there is a time for praise and worship, there is a time to discuss the Word of God, to learn and discover and to build that foundation of knowledge. But He also just wants to be silent with you, to draw you near to His Sacred Heart that beats with love just for you.

* Some events transpired after publishing this post that led me to making my consecration on Feb. 2 after all. Let the Spirit lead you when it comes to these things.