“We know that all things work together for good for those who love God.” —Romans 8:28
Instinctively every human being has a hunger for God because each of us has a hunger for happiness. Most of us have discovered that all those things we thought would make us happy might have for a while but faded and kept us searching. St. Augustine wrote of his search: “You have made us for thyself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in thee.” Your heart, your life, and mine have a deep capacity for limitless, infinite, pure, irrevocable love. No human being or beings can satisfy that deep yearning. Only God can fill it with his infinite, gentle, unconditional, eternal love. Human interpersonal relationships are great gifts from God. We need the love of others, but we must keep God at the center. We must look to God for that deep peace, happiness, and security that only God can give and not expect it from another limited, imperfect human being. Only God is perfect; humans are not. In daily, peaceful prayer, God continues to fill that capacity. Keep God at the center, and he will put the puzzle of life together for you.
Lord, call me often to prayer and reflection so I can keep you at my center. Amen.
—from the book Three Minutes with God: Reflections and Prayers to Encourage, Inspire, and Motivate
by Monsignor Frank Bognanno
3 thoughts on “God at the Center”
Beautiful reflection, so consoled by the very thought that only God satisfy our deep yearning for Love and God should be center of our lives
Excellent. This is like de javu for me, when I was in a crisis episode of my life a few years ago, Romans 8;28 kept me going and helped me stay afloat. I will share this excellent commentary with my 19year old son, who I think needs this insight! Thank you for this. Baron
Very true that only GOD can satisfy our hunger for love, joy, peace & happiness. Human beings are imperfect. Only GOD is perfect & loves us perfectly.
Of course, we need & are even commanded to love others & we need to receive human love (which does not necessarily have to be romantic). But we must ensure that our love for whomever & whatever we love has GOD at the center & is rooted in GOD. This is true whether we are called to the celibate single vocation, priesthood or diaconate, consecrated religious life, or to marriage.
My parents were married 64 years until my Dad died at the age of 91 on August 16, 2014, and whenever they were asked for the secret of their long, faithful & devoted marriage my Mom would respond, “PUT JESUS IN THE CENTER OF YOUR MARRIAGE.”