Loving God and Others, Despite Distractions and Noise

[The following is a guest post from Beth O'Neill, parishioner at Catholic Church of the Incarnation and a Minister to the Sick.]

How do we serve God in a world with so much noise and so many distractions?  Life makes so many demands.  There is always somewhere to be or someone who needs us.  Most people, like me, are spread too thin.  The noise and distractions only make this worse, because they allow us to find excuses not to be present with God.  If you step away from all the noise and distractions that surround us, you will find that the one who loves us the most is there waiting for us to trust in Him.  God is there to take care of everything for us.  But, we have to be willing to let ourselves be loved by Him.  We must find ways to be present with God, to invest time in our friendship with Christ, and to follow Him.  How do we do that?

Allow me to provide a couple of examples from my own life.  Both examples are possible because I travel quite a bit for my career.  On many days, I am not able to go to daily Mass as I would like.  Yet, I desire deeply to invest in my friendship with Jesus, and my commitment to Him, in a tangible way.  In a particular way, I have felt called to pray for the physical and spiritual healing of souls.

With spiritual direction and encouragement from a pastor, I began serving in the Ministry to the Sick.  Each time I carry the Eucharist to a sick person, I imagine that I bring Jesus’ heart into their homes, hospitals, and nursing, hospice, and rehab facilities.  Further, I imagine that each person I visit is Jesus.  He lives in the hearts of each one of us.  I need to visit Jesus, and the people who wait need a visit from the Lord, too.  They receive healing, and I do as well.  I am always encouraged by the deep faith and love of Christ that I encounter during these visits.  It never fails that I feel Christ’s promise welling up in my heart: “Whenever two or three are gathered in my Name, there I am in their midst.” (Matt. 18:20).

Another amazing way that I am free to serve Christ and love my neighbor is my intercessory prayer for the people around me in airplanes, hotels, or even football stadiums.  I pray that Jesus will place me where He needs me most, next to the people who need prayers.  Since I am often on an airplane or in a hotel, I pray for everyone around me, wherever that may lead.  I offer prayers for their intentions, for their conversion, for the graces they need most in this life, for their illnesses, addictions, forgiveness of sins, and for their families.  I try not to complicate things, and I try to see that He has placed me exactly where I need to be.  I simply try to make God more present by my prayers, words, or actions.

These may seem like small works and acts of faith, and they may not involve much time or physical effort.  However, they bring me closer to Christ.  Very often, I am humbled by those whom I visit and I often pray that I can love Him and love my neighbor more.  It never fails: I find that in serving Jesus and others, He is there serving and consoling me.  It is in these moments when I pray, “Jesus, please hide me in your wounds.”  When I relate to my Lord in this way, it is simple to find ways to serve and share my faith with others.  My heart becomes bigger and He fills what would otherwise be empty.  My life is transformed forever because of this service that I offer to my Lord and my fellow neighbors!

All of this sounds simple, but it isn’t.  It takes daily effort to fulfill my commitment and sustain my relationship with Christ.  Although I fail from time to time, I only seek to live out the mission of love commanded by Christ and His Church.  I desire to bring His light into the world.  Without His grace and guidance to sustain my effort, I find myself weak and lost.

The gifts that I receive by practicing my faith in this way are abundant.  Being able to love God and serve Him through my neighbor is an amazing freedom.  I am so thankful for the freedom that I have to practice my faith openly and authentically as a member of the Holy Catholic Church.  Yet that freedom will be lost if Americans, like you and me, take it for granted.  I encourage all to pray, fast, and act to protect religious freedom so that we all are able to receive from Christ’s love and pass on that love to others.

So, let us step away from all the noise and distractions that surround us by investing time in our friendship with Jesus.  Let us seek to remain united with Jesus in all things.  Let us make Him visible to those we meet, and let us rely on His comfort and protection.  Let us love Him and allow ourselves to be loved by Him.  Nothing else will bring us happiness, and nothing else will bring peace into this world.

His plan is grander than we can comprehend, but it’s also very simple.  Nike’s slogan says “Just do it.”  If God had one for us, I believe it would be “Just Love.”  Just love Him and love your neighbor.  When you do, you will find simple ways to serve Jesus and share your faith with others. Jesus, hide us in your wounds so that you can be bigger in our lives.