“Our hearts are restless, until they rest in Thee.” – St. Augustine

I see this so frequently; people filling the void in their heart with all sorts of things: shopping, work, shallow relationships, drama, activity, tv, video games, social media, alcohol . . . the list of vices and distractions could be forever added to. 

The secular world seems to cry out in one, silent voice, “I’m lost!” You see it in the films, the television shows, most YouTube videos: the pride, the searching, the narcissism. There’s always a new problem, a new solution, a new striving, yet absent of God, it will always be that: striving. It will never rest. 

As our world becomes more and more atheist around us, we see the chaos becoming more prevalent, more violent, more insistent. This is a natural consequence of life without God. The Communists ultimately fail because they remove God from society, and in doing so, they remove the very thing that brings peace to the human heart. 

God made our hearts. He made our bodies and souls. That yearning, that aching, that emptiness: it will always be there until you submit, in humility, to the True, Trinitiarian God: Oneness is Three Persons. 

God is mercy. He is also justice. But in this post, let’s focus on His Mercy. He is forever knocking on your heart, but He will not insist upon entering. He pours out His Love and Grace on You, but will remain hidden unless you seek Him. Anything you do that is good in life: love well, be kind, persevere in a task, even get out of bed – it’s all because He Wills for it to happen. Without the grace of God in our lives, we would be completely useless messes. The very first act of Faith is to thank God for any good you accomplish in the day, because you owe it all to Him. 

If you get to this point: if you can at least acknowledge God, you must not stop there. Your heart will still be restless, because God is meant to be known and loved. God IS Love. We love because He loved us first. The Holy Trinity is an expression of love. A Father’s love for a Son. A Son’s love for His Father. And the Holy Spirit as an expression of that Love. God is one, complete existence of Love. 

How do we get to know this God? Simple. You become Catholic. Why Catholic? Well, that post is best saved for another time, though you may read the books below to get started. Ultimately, you enter Christ’s Church because between Holy Scripture and Sacred Tradition, you will possess the Fullness of Truth, the fullness of Divine Revelation handed to the Apostles and Church Fathers. Your heart will finally rest as you receive Christ’s Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity.  As you learn about how God ordered the world and all that is in it, everything will click into place and make perfect sense.  The Church has guidance on all moral issues because God ordered the universe.  He created marriage.  He created sexuality.  These have answers: consistent, universal answers, that have been expounded upon by His Church over the last 2000 years.  The purpose of the Church is to guide the Body of Christ to Heaven, teaching them to pursue the narrow path.  

I pray that you can seek God.  I say “can” because it is an effort, especially an effort in humility, and many people will not be able to let go of their sense of grandiose to recognize the truly Grand.  

I will pray for your peace, which will only happen when you fully acknowledge and accept all of Christ’s teachings.  It takes time.  Ask for Faith.  You cannot work your way there.  Faith, Hope, and Charity are gifts.  We must ask Our Blessed Mother for help, through which all grace flows:  

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee.
Blessed are thou among women,
And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, 
Jesus. 
Holy Mary, Mother of God, 
Pray for us sinners,
Now, and at the hour of our death. 
Amen.