Reflections from the Heart – September 24, 2023

Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
by Fr. Ivan Olmo

“Conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ.” Intimate moments with God are truly life changing and even necessary.  We need those quiet, intimate, sacred moments to encounter the divine in order to recall and be reminded who God is, who we are and the difference.  God is divine, eternal, timeless and out of his great suffering and merciful love has placed the timelessness in our hearts so that we may touch eternity and be healed by divine grace. These are those spiritual sacred moments and encounters that find us, seek us out and long to wonderfully overwhelm us with God’s holy grace showering us with mercy, covering us in light, filling us with his love, and touching the depth of our very soul and being.  We all need these moments in our lives.  In the encounter with the mysterious and awe consuming presence of God, we find ourselves caught up in sacred mysteries so bigger than us, so larger than life, so far beyond our imagination that we cannot fathom the touch of the divine holding and gently caressing our hearts and taking us up into the heavenly realm with angels and saint even if it’s only for a brief sacred moment or a holy second it is still holy, divine and life changing.  We encounter these divine and truly blessed occurrences in Mass, in prayer, in darkness or in light. God touches our hearts and moves our soul closer to him. We cannot help but be moved by the greatness all around us and the gentle touch of the divine breathing new life with in us.  Miracle moments like these transform hearts, even those that a broken, hardened, lifeless, crushed.  God makes all things feel like new in these moments.  We are never the same.  I encountered one of these sacred moments during diaconate ordination.  There’s a seriously intimate moment with the gospel and person of Christ is communicating himself, revealing himself, making himself known, sharing his truth. Humbly kneeing before the bishop, the gospel of Christ is offered to those have been called, formed, and prepared for this moment. While holding on to the Word that is Christ, we hear, “receive the gospel of Christ whose herald you have become, believe what you read, teach what you believe and practice what you teach.” Touched by the gospel that touches us so intimately we are invited to receive the Word of God with deep gratitude, believe in it with deep profound faith, and generously practice it in our daily lives.