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Chapter 1 — "My Soul Longs for You, O God (Ps 42:2)"
OPENING PRAYER
As the deer longs for streams of water,
so my soul longs for you, O God.
My being thirsts for God, the living God.
When can I go and see the face of God?
My tears have been my food day and night,
as they ask daily, "Where is your God?"
Those times I recall
as I pour out my soul,
When I went in procession with the crowd,
I went with them to the house of God,
Amid loud cries of thanksgiving,
with the multitude keeping festival,
Why are the downcast, my soul;
why do you groan within me?
Wait for God, whom I shall praise again,
my savior and my God.
—Psalm 42:2-6
"THE HUMAN QUEST FOR GOD"
—CCC, Nos. 27–43
Have you ever asked: Who am I? Where did I come from? What is my purpose in life? Where am I going? Why do I need to struggle to achieve my goals? Why is it so hard to love and be loved? What is the meaning of sickness and suffering? What will happen after I die? These questions relate to the meaning of our human existence, but also move us to ask questions about God, the transcendent reality, and to uncover an inner sense of longing for God.
Throughout history, humanity has had a universal desire for the infinite, for nothing less than God. It is wired into our brains. For in God, “we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28) “The desire for God is written in the human heart, because [humanity] is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw [humanity] to [God]” (CCC, 27) As St. Augustine wrote, “You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” (Confessions, 1.1)
The Catholic faith teaches there are three paths through which every person can come to God: through creation, through the human person, and through God’s Revelation. This week we reflect on the first two paths and next week we reflect on the third path—God’s Revelation.
Scripture teaches “Ever since the creation of the world, [God’s] invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity have been able to be understood and perceived in what [God] has made” (Rom 1:20). Psalm 139:14 says, “I praise you, so wonderfully you made me”; and Psalm 19:2, “The heavens declare the glory of God.”
As humans, we long for ultimate happiness, and a life of meaning and purpose. We seek to know the truth and to experience love, goodness, and beauty. We are given the ability to reason, the freedom to choose, and a conscience to guide us.
We are a “Generation of Seekers” and the Church invites us to “undertake a spiritual journey that is focused on Jesus Christ and God's reign of salvation, love, justice, and mercy (USCCA, pp. 6-7).
We are a “Generation of Seekers” and the Church invites us to “undertake a spiritual journey that is focused on Jesus Christ and God's reign of salvation, love, justice, and mercy (USCCA, pp. 6-7).
Please read this week USCCA, Chapter 1, "My Soul Longs for You, O God (Ps 42:2) (pages 1-9), the CCC, Nos. 27-43 (pages 13-17), and the Compendium, Nos. 1–5
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REFLECT ON YOUR EXPRIENCE
Who Am I?
What do you desire most for your life?
Where or from whom do you seek to find truth, goodness, and happiness?
How are you searching for God?
"Only in God will we find the truth, peace, and happiness for which we never stop searching."
We encourage and invite you to spend time to reflect, pray, and write in your journal about what you have read, seen, heard, or experienced this week. You can find some other questions you may wish to consider here.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, in now, and ever shall be.
Amen.