Soul ache

25th June 2021

Here we are, still bathing in the warmth of the Sacred Heart in this glorious month of Divine Humility. We need to reclaim June for Jesus.

I love the Summer. I love the bright days, long days, warm days and flowers everywhere.

I love the splendour that God's creation puts on at this time of year. I love seeing the little animals being born, staggering around and finding their feet (or paws).

How delightful it is to see the roses in full bloom, tumbling over sun lit sandy-coloured walls.

I love the scents that float in the air. Portugal is full of scents and perfumes throughout the Summer. Eucalyptus, pine, Rosemary, orange blossom and herbs.

It is at the this time of year, when God's creation seems to shimmer with a reflection of His Glory, that we should feel our soul ache.

We often think of an ache as being unpleasant or painful. It is usually something that sends you running for painkillers.

But not this soul ache.

The Portuguese have a marvellous word so sadly lacking in English. That word is "Saudades."

Saudades is such a flexible word, yet profound. The closest word in English is yearning, but even that doesn't quite cut it.

When talking about the soul and its yearning for God it is more of a yearning, aching pang.

This pang is one where you crave to love God, crave His Love in return and yet ache that you need and want to love Him more.

The blessing of this pang, this soul ache is that God, in His Grace, Himself yearns to deepen your soul ache. When we pang and yearn for God it delights His Sacred Heart beyond words. He sees our need for Him. It draws Him closer to us.

If we are in a state of Grace the Most Blessed Trinity dwells in our souls. He Himself is the source of that pang.

The extra beautiful thing about it is that we can make acts of the will, willing to pang for Him more, especially in prayer and most particularly just after Holy Communion.

God wants us to enter into the Chamber of our soul, which is the heart, and yearn for Him and HIs Grace and Love. Most often this yearning is wordless or, at best, it uses little words.

We simply ache for God.

It is this ache that I believe Our Lady lived with each and everyday. When it says in the Gospels that Our Lady "kept this things in her heart", what does that mean?

I believe it means that Our Lady intensely kept the Divine Presence within Her, reflecting on His words and aching to love Him who is Love itself. Each day Her Immaculate Heart expanded and so did Her yearning.

Let's ask God for that very same ache and that it deepens within us each passing day. 

O God, let me ache for You. In aching for You let me love you more and more. Expand my heart and fill it with Your Love. And in doing so, being filled with Your Divine Love, I will Love You with Your very own Love! Then, and only then, will I be consumed by Love Itself!

Amen.

God bless