Leadership Monthly

Reflection Column

"We offer Thee all our thoughts, words and deeds, all that we possess from within and without. We lay them all at the feet of you, O God, asking for your mercy, accept us as we are."
(Prayer of St. Angela)

I have chosen to bring the prayer of St. Angela before us once again. Contemplation calls us to reflect on who we are, as is. Sometimes this is difficult because we do not always like who we are and find ourselves trying to be different, better, thinner, wiser, holier, more insightful, energetic – we each have our own adjectives to add.

The call to contemplation is a call to look within and without. It is an invitation to waste time with the Lord. It is an opportunity to look into the secrets of our hearts and souls. God loves us so much that no matter what, unconditional love will always be there for us.

St. Angela, the unworthy servant, as she refers to herself, acknowledged her faults and failures to the Lord, but never doubted God's love for her. She took the ordinary "stuff" of life, dealt with it in an ordinary way, and was able to bring about extraordinary results. She was a simple, prayerful woman, one who never wanted to be "in charge" of anything. Angela just wanted to follow the stirrings of the Holy Spirit, be kind, charitable, gentle and faithful to her God.

Contemplation is being who we are before God, in our ordinariness, and allowing God to love us just because. Listen to your heart and you will hear the Lord say, "I love you."

Pictures from the Sacred Heart Feast Day Celebration