The Knitting Theologian

I have been hoping, of late, that God would be really clear about His will for me. I mean really, unmistakably, unambiguously clear. Giant sign in the sky, say, with letters of fire. Or a well-modulated bass voice and the sensation of a supernatural whack on the shoulder. Maybe a thumbs up, or a “props for you!” or something like that.

No such luck. That is not how God works.

I knew that, of course. Discernment is a tricky business, requiring subtlety. I think of the signs I’ve read about: where do I find consolation? What are the actual church teachings? What do my most trusted friends say?

One of my best friends ever, a retired priest, told me, “if you have prayed and thought and conscientiously made a decision, then *that* is God’s will. You have freely made the decision.”

Oh.

“Of course,” he continued,” if He doesn’t like it, he can strike you dead, or something…but that just doesn’t happen very often.”

I don’t know whether to be reassured, or to be careful about walking home from work when it’s raining.

Despite my dry spell, I am praying, and one way in which I am praying is the Novena for Faithful Citizenship put out by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. I’m praying it once a week on Tuesdays, but the bishops offer other options.

And here is a wonderful video about voting with an informed conscience–check it out.

I haven’t posted much lately, because I’m going through a spiritual dry spot. I am still praying, but most of what’s going on has to do with personal situations that don’t make good blog fodder.

So the blog is in a corresponding dry spot, but I’m trying to think of ways to pull it out–and maybe myself as well. Stay tuned.