My Dear People
When we receive an invitation, we can sometimes decide quite easily whether or not to accept it. Sometimes it is less easy. Whilst we are probably happy with most of our choices, I am sure we have all regretted accepting some invitations, and perhaps less often but more deeply, have regretted turning others down.
But when an invitation from God, it is altogether another story.
We have all received many invitations from God. They may have come to us while we were reading the Bible, or listening to a sermon, or being part of a conversation, or quietly at prayer. But we have all received them, repeatedly, whether we chose to hear and respond to them, or not.
Saint Julian of Norwich (C14) said something very interesting: “See the courtesy with which God treats his creature!” When God invited The Virgin Mary to become the mother of his Son, she could have said no.
Something else could have happened. She was free to refuse. But God knew from all eternity that she would freely say yes.
With us God uses these same courtesies; he does not insist; he never forces. He offers you this or that. You can say no (although you should always listen!). If it is not a fault, you will not fall into mortal sin, you will remain in a state of grace, but you will deprive yourself of an adventure that could have been wonderful, and which could perhaps also have been an opportunity to save someone you love.
God is always inviting us to do something with Him. We often don’t listen, we seldom say “Yes”. It will be one of the pains of Purgatory, if one day God lets us enter there, to have missed so many of these invitations of divine grace, which are as sweet as the breeze that Elijah heard on the mountain announcing God’s presence.
So, listen for God’s invitation to you, and whenever you possibly can, say ‘Yes’.
Yours in Christ,
Fr John
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