Like Francis of Assisi, each of us journeys along the pilgrimage of life, and while doing so we are being shaped in little unseen ways. Only occasionally do we become aware of the liminal moments that change our lives forever in large and significant ways. One of the insights Francis’s story provides for us today is that, although we begin our part of the journey in varied times and ways, God has always been there alongside us from the beginning. For many of us, it is only when we stop and look back on our lives that we can see where the Spirit was indeed breaking into our world. Spirituality is in large part a matter of becoming ever more attentive to the questions and subsequent answers of our lives. Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going?
—from Dating God: Live and Love in the Way of St. Francis
by Daniel P. Horan, OFM
4 thoughts on “God Shapes Us on Our Journey”
Yesterday at Mass, I noticed so many familiar faces. People are getting older but so am I. I’ve been a member of our parish for twenty years now, so I know many of their names. I live in a retirement community/city, so it is fairly stable here. How nice.
The best thing about my Catholic community is that we all know the rules and we all have the same basic values. Many of the old-timers still remember my mom who passed over four years ago. And I still remember their former loved ones too. But yet, we still have to live in the present and make the best of things. That’s life.
So, how has God shaped me in my life journey? Well, the real me was the kid I see in my childhood pictures. Then I became older, and life got in the way. So, now I’m trying to get reacquainted with the old real me from way back when.
People who have had near-death experiences say that we won’t know our true nature until we die. But I think the difference between the saints and the rest of us is that the saints are in tune with their true nature while they are still alive. That’s what I think/suspect anyways. I think I’ve encountered six saints thus far in my life. They are just ordinary people in so many ways, but they do pray more. In my current parish, we may have another saint or two in our midst. We all seem to know who is holier than who, but we keep it to ourselves and just smile. I love saintly people. I still suspect the happiest day of my life will be when I die.
On June 26th, the article entitled “God shapes us on our journey” I came across the word ‘LIMINAL’ which I did not know, so I looked it up. I was surprised to find out that this word(?) is NOT in the American Heritage College Dictionary!
Can you tell me what it means as used in the sentence, ‘Only occasionally do we become aware of the liminal moments that change our lives….”?
Thank you!
i think its a mispelling of minimal 🙂
Liminal means relating to a transitional or initial stage of a process. I hope that helps! 😊