The dance

The voice of the Lord makes the deer dance and strips the forests bare.

All in his Temple say, “Glory!” (Psalm 29:9)

“Home is where your heart is”. An old saying I haven’t heard for years. For the Christian, we know our time on earth is a pilgrimage to our home in Heaven. Each of us has been made for eternity with God—we are predestined for it. Sadly, many people by their own free-will choice may not make it to home. 

“Home is where you love” (Fr. Matthew Kauth, p. 161). God is love (1 John 4:8). That’s who He is and what He does. Receiving His Spirit in our Baptism, He, love, always resides within us. But it takes two to tango (another old saying!) and too often we choose to ‘dance’ solo, absorbed in our opinions, agendas, and preferences. At other times, we choose dance partners which the world offers to us: ideologies, online personalities, fashions, beliefs, lifestyles. These ‘gods’ become our home because we have given our heart to them. They are our true love, evidenced by the difficulty we have in giving these up. 

Our attachments are ‘dressed’ with rationalization, and buttoned securely with “I” statements. We ignore teaching from scripture that Satan will mask the angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), teasing us with partial truths or partially good things. He acts like the black widow who ensnares her prey with her web. 

“It is proper to the evil Angel, who forms himself under the appearance of an angel of light, to enter with the devout soul and go out with himself: that is to say, to bring good and holy thoughts, conformable to such just soul, and then little by little he aims at coming out drawing the soul to his covert deceits and perverse intentions.” (Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola)

We rationalize saying “I can ignore the evil part”. We ignore teachings of saints and holy authors who implore upon us to take the better good choice, for it is in excellence where we find God. This always involves sacrificing self-reliance, a sacrifice which God highly rewards with His love. The saints teach we only need that which is necessary to serve God by living out His purpose for our life. No more and no less. Why, then, rationalize an attachment rather than simply giving it up?

When we let go of these things, we become available to dance with Him who is the Lord of the Dance. Ultimately, isn’t this the purpose of Lent? 

Fr. Matthew Kauth writes of how the King of Kings, God Himself, came into creation but creation did not know Him. The Light of the World chose to come into its darkness. “So much was happening by night with this Light of the World” (p. 215): shepherds received the angelic message, the Magi followed a star whose purpose was to lead them (and us) to the true King, and later the Holy Family escaped into Egypt. 

“The city had slept through its visitation. Only those who came by night knew of the King who dwelled in her walls They did not know He had left because they did not know He was there.” (Imitation of St. Joseph, p. 216) 

How aware are we of His presence in our heart and life? How often do we miss His Divine visitations because our attention is turned to worldly dance partners? 

Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 19:24)

“See here, the camel disencumbered of his hunch passes through the eye of a needle” (St. Bede)

This Sunday is Laetare Sunday, rejoice! In our remaining weeks of Lent, let us implore upon God for the grace to be disencumbered of our ‘hunch’ so that come Easter we can grasp onto Him with both arms in His eternal dance of love. 

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam 😊

(Image by Ann Bugaich via Pexels)