Unwavering Love

No matter who we are or what we’ve done, God loves us, and His love is unfailing.

I know God exists, and I know His love is true because of the time I’ve spent with Him in the Blessed Sacrament. 

When I sit with Jesus in Adoration, I let down my guard.  I open my heart to Him and willingly share all my desires, thoughts, feelings, and ideas with Him.  Once I acknowledge where I’m at in the moment, I ask Him to speak to me, which requires me to be still.  Oftentimes, I hear nothing.  But even when I don’t hear His voice, I still feel love and peace flowing through me.

Sometimes, this feeling is intense.  I remember earlier this year following the Holy Thursday service, I was sitting still before the Blessed Sacrament.  Shortly after asking the Holy Spirit to pray over me, I felt hands on my head.  The touch was warm and caused my head to bow down.  The warmth flowed through my entire body.  It was as if I was wrapped in the arms of the Father.  I remained in this state for several minutes.  Then, when the priest started to pray the Benediction, the ‘hands’ gently lifted, and the sensation was over. 

This is a love that God wants to give each of us.  No matter who we are or what we’ve done.  I can point to many times in my life where I’ve wandered away from the flock.  The wandering was spurred by an idea that life is about my will – what I want is all that matters.  But every time I moved away from God, I ended up finding myself stuck in mud going nowhere. 

And yet, God loves us so much that he chases after us.  The Good Shepherd runs toward us, sweeps us up in His arms, and holds us in such an intimate way that says, “You are Mine.”

The Eucharist reminds us of this unwavering communion we remain in with Jesus.  Nothing can break this union, as He assures us in John 10, verses 11-15:

“I am the good shepherd.  A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.  A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them.  This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep.  I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me.  Just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep.” 

Melissa Schmid

*Parts of the above piece were previously published online by the Archdiocese of Detroit on the website: iamhere.org.