Now Is The Time to Be Devout

My little Sophia called me to her bedside for the third time.

It was well past her time for sleeping and I knew this was going to be yet another stalling tactic.

Was she going to ask me for more water?

Or a bathroom break?

Or perhaps she would try to convince me that I really should read her another story.

To my surprise my daughter of three just pulled me in close and refused to let go.

“Kiss me, daddy” she said quietly as she got my cheeks in her hands.

“But I have already kissed you, Sophia, and I have blessed you.” I replied.

“But no, daddy” Sophia insisted with the utmost seriousness, “I need more of your kisses, or I won’t let you go.”

SOPHIA COULD NOT HAVE KNOWN IT…

…but she was giving us all a great example of the spiritual life.

Devotion…the devout life…is about grabbing ahold of your Father in Heaven and asking…bugging him even…to kiss and bless you yet again.

It is about letting go of the past,

…with all of its failures and successes,

…to focus on the moment in front of us now.

I CANNOT CLAIM

…that I have said one hundred rosaries or participated in one hundred Masses as if this will save me.

No, all I can do is cling to my God right now.

In this Mass or in this prayer or while I pour over these Holy Scriptures.

Wherever and whenever I am placed, I must try to get just one more kiss out of my Father.

This is the devout life.

And it is what the Lord desires for all of us.

So today, pull your God in close.

Hold tight and do not let go.

in Christ, patrick

P.S. I will be speaking about the devout life live this Sunday, October 2nd at 8 p.m. Eastern time on Facebook. You do not need a Facebook account to view it. Just click on the icon at the bottom of this email. I’ll see you there.