June 21, 2013

My Journey to God

What’s in a word?

He used the word two times in two sentences when speaking about the way they reached out, the manner in which they welcomed.
He said it was intentional.
So I looked it up.
It means planned, deliberate,
Weighed in advance, done on purpose.
It literally means “to stretch out,”
From the Latin intendere—
Stretching, straining, leaning towards.
I like the pre-meditated and active nature of that word. Intentional.
It should precede and be seen in all we do; in the way we love, pray, and give, Listen, dream, commit; in every single aspect in the way we live we should lean and feel the stretch.
Every saint and martyr lived like this
But no one did it better than Jesus.
Everything, EVERYTHING He did
Was intentional.
Every parable, every teaching,
Every sacrifice, every healing,
Every blessing, every step,
He did with plan and purpose.
The Eucharist,
His suffering and death,
The Holy Spirit—all intentional Gifts.
Jesus—stretching, straining, leaning towards us because of love.

And He still does.

By Cathy Lamperski Dearing
 

(Cathy Lamperski Dearing, a member of St. Barnabas Parish in Indianapolis, wrote this reflection after seeing the word “intentional” used by Father Rick Nagel in a story about reaching out to young adult Catholics in the May 31 issue of The Criterion.) †

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