“Some of my friends seem to me to be “restless for God”—always seeking this deeper love. They are present-day Saint Augustines, always probing for his will. They are not content with themselves or with the present. Their inner spirit seeks something more.” (p 50 “Everyday Virtues by Fr. John Crossin, O.S.F.S.)

Restlessness is a disease that can drive us in two different directions in life, sin or sacredness, in searching for the one ultimate plan we are invited to fulfill. As the quote above notes, and in Augustines case, this searching leads him through many mistakes and heartaches and finally to the “saint” part of this ultimate journey.
It is interesting to look around our world that is so restless and so very busy seeking to fill this emptiness we feel and wonder why so many of us miss the God moments that bring peace. We witness this often in the anger that consumes so many and fuels the false desires of momentary happiness in the midst of God’s offer for eternal peace.
When we look at our relationships and to others in the world we will often notice how this anger engages: the frustrated person is never more angry then when they are in the presence of a peaceful person, the anxious in the presence of contented person and the lonely in the presence of community. God’s call to peace, contentment and community is at odds with the worlds desire for more, mine and isolation.

“How can we take God for granted when he speaks to us so continuously?” (p 50)

My restless found its vaccine in daily Mass. After university I spent two years teaching at St. Bonaventure Mission in New Mexico. One grace I stumbled into was the routine of daily Mass. In the quiet rhythm of this prayer and sacramental encounter with Jesus Christ I began to hear the continuous voice of God in my life. I can now recognize it as the journey to my priestly vocation, but even then I began to see and understand the something more, not of restless searching, but the more of peaceful assurance that God desires us to act in love and generosity.
We can often fall into the trap of thinking that peacefulness indicates inaction or that contentment is a sign of unwillingness to engage in healing of suffering and sin in the world but it is quite the opposite. We are never more engaged than when as part of a community of love, faith and hope were we engage in the work of blessing, reconciliation and joining together as one. It is when our restlessness is calmed by the gentleness of love that we experience our dignity and sacredness and see our sisters in brothers with the same eyes which God sees us.

“People can’t easily take God for granted because he reaches out and touches them. Occasionally he speaks directly; often he whispers in the gentle breeze.” (p 51)

Modern American society is mobile and on the move. We are constantly engaging something and very seldom encountering someone. It is one of the greatest sins of our time. And yes, I fall into this sin too often for my own comfort. It was in daily Mass where I noticed the first whispers of peace calming the restlessness of my soul. As I began to practice daily prayer, not hit and miss of “I will get to it if I can,” but a practice of seeking God intentionally and actively that the whispers became the voice of my family, friends, students and strangers. It is where the sacramental encounters of discovering God blessings were found even in stalled freeway traffic or the clogged toilet. These too became moments of encounter with the peace and contentment of God’s desire to love me for who I am and for me not to corner God into what I want at the moment.

“As Christians see things, our freedom is for the good, for the true and for the beautiful. It is the freedom to be our best selves. What are we free for? Put succinctly, we are free to be holy. Nothing else matters. We are free to be holy—to be like Christ. We are free to give everything—tragedies, scars, successes and even our inmost thought to God.” (p 51)

Ultimately this is what we discover: our call is to holiness. This is the true peacefulness, contentment and gift of community. To become saints among saints joyfully sharing the goodness of God’s love. It is the freedom to be holy!
God bless,
Fr. Mark