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February 3

Longing

Having come home to the love and grace of God in Christ does not mean that the journey has ended. In fact, it has merely begun. And while previously we may have been longing for all sorts of other things, we now long for the living God.

The heart of Christian spirituality is the longing and seeking heart. This longing never ends. Never in this life is it fully satisfied.

St. Anselm has expressed this well: “My consoler, for whom I wait, when will you come? O that I might seek the joy that I desire; that I might be satisfied with the appearing of your glory for which I hunger; that I might be satisfied with the riches of your house for which I sigh.”34

The longing heart for the presence of God, the seeking heart for the purposes of God, the praying heart for the will of God, is the heart throbbing with the life of the Spirit.

Having come home, we seek to be more deeply grounded. Having been forgiven, we seek to bring goodness to our world. Having been

inspired, we long to see more clearly. Having been befriended, we seek to grow in love. Having been well loved, we long to see others come into the goodness of God.

The longing heart is not the ungrateful heart, it is the hungry heart for a greater vision of the God who has made himself known to us. This is the heart that leans into the future.

Thought

Longing is the human being leaning towards eternity. In the act of longing we transcend the present and open windows to a future yet to be unveiled.