THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US

Let’s pause here for a moment
and examine ourselves.
Previously, we reflected on
how far the Lord sometimes feelx
to us in all that we’ve gone through.

This time let’s ask ourselves:

How much distance have I created
between me and the Lord?

And what could be some of the reasons
for my keeping this distance from the Lord?

Think about it for a moment
before taking our quick poll HERE.
(The poll will open in another window
so make sure you know how to get back here).

What do you think of the results?
What do the majority’s responses tell you?
(You’ll need to click on the arrow
on the right below
to see the result to the second poll.)

Can you think of a baby step
to begin or to continue closing the distance
between you and the Lord?

Feel free to post your responses below.


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109 replies on “THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US”

A baby step I can take to close the distance is to journal the ways that I am afraid that I disappoint God, to help me realize that God’s love and acceptance are unconditional — there’s nothing I will do that will make God want to distance Himself from me. I pray regularly, but at the back of my mind and in my heart I feel this weight, and I know it’s holding me back.

I have felt spiritually distant from the Lord for quite a while. At first, I thought it was because I was too busy, or because I might not have a “strong need,” but that’s not actually the case. I have felt this need for God so strongly that it hurts, and I know that I have time. I think there’s something in me that is afraid of letting God come too close. I’m almost afraid that I won’t “live up” to what He wants me to be. I don’t want to disappoint Him, so I keep Him at a distance.

It’s sad, but I am one of those who are too busy to pray. This is should change. I’ll start devoting the first 15 minutes and the last 15 minutes of my day in prayer.

I need to practice more mindfulness in everything I do but most importantly during prayer. I need to focus more on my prayers and not get distracted or make it feel like a routine.

Setting aside a quiet time for prayer. Not the kind I do upon waking up or before going to bed, but like a one-on-one, heart to heart talk.

Finding God in all things is not easy specially when learning how to love an enemy. I may say that this is the reason why I have been away from God in quite a while.

My baby step is to set a regular schedule where I can just be quiet and talk to God. Right now, despite daily mass and rosary, I feel so distant from the Lord. Most of my time is spent on getting ready for the big move, daily chores and some social media and the Internet that I’m just too tired to even think.

I created a distance from God because of my habitual sins. But partly, it’s also because I grow too busy… to school works and other stuff, but most often to the internet. Dedicated prayer time has been minimal, even though short prayers are said sometimes on other parts of the day. As a baby step, I will do my best to use the ECQ to set a time for prayer, even a silent one.

Dear Lord,

I need help to go to confession more often, to understand that even when I fail again and again, you will always be there to help me. I want to go to communion more often but my oft-repeated sins hold me back. Help me have the courage to reconcile with you.

I feel hypocritical. I love the Lord with all my heart and I am proud to be a Christian. Every message I receive that talks about the promises of Christ as well as things to be or do in order to receive the fullness of a Christian life always gets me and I’ve always desired to reach out and do what’s needed to get it.

However, I’ve taken too much pleasure and happiness in my own personal addictions and vices. Things that can distance myself from God and other people. And the worse part is, I can do them knowing of this fact of being distant.

Dear Lord,
I am ashamed of only having conscious efforts but without action. The day goes by sometimes that I don’t thank you or praise you and when I do get the time, I do it hurriedly or lazily because I’m too tired.
But you’re still there and your love is unending.
Please forgive me for my shortcomings and I pray that I will become a better person everyday.

I will plan my day with God as one of the first 3 things I will do every morning. By His Grace, He will direct my path, guide me with His wisdom and use the hours to finish works to offer back to Him for His Glory. He has so many plans for me, I had to do to help people and myself. Only He can do that for me. I am the body, He is the brain and spirit who will conquer and drive me with phenomenal enthusiasm and energy.

I will never make a distance with the Lord. Prayer for me after getting up from bed or before getting up from bed maka mylife the feeling of light, happiness and inspiration. Also @ night I thank Him for all the blessings I had for the day. And I can feel that I have a Holy Spirit .

Dear Lord, please forgive me. Though my distancing myself from you was not intentional, I know that I have one way or another by prioritizing my work, mobile phone, social media and other activities. I know that I should prioritize you and my family more. Thank you for making me realize it now. Thank you for granting me wisdom. I promise to give my best in giving more time for You – to serving the less fortunate and having an apostolate and mission. I promise to give more time to my family. Please continue to ask the Holy Spirit to give me wisdom in all that I do. Amen.

I am going to need to remember his last commandment, “Love others as I have loved you.” For too long have I been “ashamed” of the love of the Lord.. I need to remember that He, above all, loves me infinitely. This guilt that I feel should be forgotten.. He is merciful, He is loving, and He is with all of us.

Dear Father,
A lot of my distancing are thoughts of have failed you. I have set goals, mostly thinking, that you will be pleased and you would love to make this happen. Yet, a lot of time I an overwhelming burden overcomes me. I am easily damped by uncertainty. I cannot push forward. Days to months, I have seen myself cannot accomplish even a single note or word. I am to overwhelmed with the daily things (for the family). I am torn. I am broken. Many times I see myself that I failed both being a mom, a wife and student. Most of all, failing You – because I know you gave me this opportunity to be loving but I am not.
Help me Dear Father to continue. Help me Lord to Persevere. Help me God to overcome. Let me focus on your grace, mercy and love.
I rest in the assurance that You are the Author and finisher of our Faith.

Have that conscious effort to grow close to Him. This conscious effort starts from admitting that I have not hold of the things around me. I am a small speck in His eye. He is omnipotent, He is the Creator and He is all powerful. I am weak in His eyes and only He can save me. Another step I can take is to spend more time to get to know Him by reading more about Him, to know more great things about Him, and to see Him in everything I do. This is easier said than done with all the distractions we face in our daily life.
Another step is to simplify life so I can focus on Him more. Sometimes, life is too complicated that I do not have time for Him anymore.
One important step is to go to mass as much as possible to receive Him in the Holy Eucharist.

To make time. To not be ashamed to share my experience of Him. To trust in His will and His all-knowing presence in allowing Him to use me, direct my life.

The reason for the distance i have with the Lord is i get too busy with less important thing. My day gets so busy that my prayer and reflection time suffers or is compromised. Baby steps that i would like to start today to cloae rhe distance between me and the Lord are;
1) Make Him the #1 priority of my day
2) Start my day with my prayer time.
3) Set aside a dedicated time for prayers and reflection. Do not try to squeeze it in during our drive to work where we are distracted with traffic amd other things.
4) Be faithful. Consult Him in every aspect and decision of my life.

Baby steps indeed to recommit to prayers knowing Him better through the bible,and kindness and co.apssion to start at home.

I took a huge step to close out that huge distance with the Lord by regularly attending Sunday masses. Thankfully, through the great homilies especially by the Jesuit priests here and abroad, I have always been able to feel the Lord in ways more than one and reflect how important His presence has been in my life.

However, I think I still need to be more intimate with him by trying to start and end my day with a prayer. I have tried doing it before but I did not become consistent as life happens. Maybe I would have more time to do this during this lockdown period.

Lord, I miss you in the sacrament which became part of my everyday life, ending my day in mass and listening to your word after a tiring day in the lab. In these days Lord that we are not able to have you in the Eucharist, make us closer to you and bridge that distance of longing that we feel. This too, shall pass O Lord and we are excited to receive you again in the Eucharist. Amen

There should be really a conscious effort to set aside a quiet time to be with the Lord, or to talk to the Lord. This will allow quality prayer time to happen, and not just a rushed one.

to put into action and commitment the words I promised
to set a definite time to pray to him wholeheartedly

Lord, give us the grace not to procrastinate. Give us the willpower to do specific task on a given place and time. Sometimes, these technologies hinder us to have a quality time with you. May you grant us the blazing flame of excitement when we turn our face upon you. Amen

First is to get rid of excuses. Any act of kindness is a way of showing our loyalty to God. We need not pray the rosary every single hour for Him to know that we trust Him. A simple way of calling out His name to thank Him for today’s blessings is already a baby step to closing the distance between you and God.

I feel like I haven’t been praying that hard nowadays unlike before. I need to schedule a daily time for prayer.

Father God, some days it is hard for me to find even the desire to read your word and pray, nevertheless, I do it. I’m sorry about this. I know that these are ways I get to connect with you, but my soul has felt numb, and I lack the strength to awaken it; but I know you can. Please help me to push past distraction, sorrow, and despair. Lead me instead to places where determination, joy, and life will be found in abundance. Bring me more of you. Create in me a desire for the things of God, for I know they are the truest things. I want to want them. I want to want you. In your son’s name, Amen.

Need to be more intentional in carving time each day to be still, to quiet down and to consent to His presence and just listen from the heart. But a good prayer life can only do so much to close the distance. What can narrow the gap, is to translate the fruits of this personal relationship with Him, through prayer, into works of love- sharing our gifts in helping others especially those who are in need.

Take time to be still, be quiet and review the day long activities. Find God in these activities. Do some walking and notice God’s seemingly insignifant but beautiful creations.

To trust in Him entirely that there is no room for fear and worry, making more room for generosity, kindness, patience, forgiveness.

Take time to be still, be quiet and do the Examen everyday. Do some walking and notice God’s seemingly insignifant but beautiful creations.

This quarantine has led me to journalling again. Like in the past, this has been a way for me to sort out feelings and to put in writing what goes in my mind. I can be more mindful of how God is revealing Himself in this crisis as I journal every day.

To make an action out of God’s call for me

Many times I feel the Lord telling me to do something but I tend to delay because of personal reasons (work, different priorities, fear of rejection, lack of resources, fear of losing, etc.)

After the pandemic is over, my hope is to maintain a similar routine of prayer, which I am able to do now under quarantine.

I must continue to know Him more, by being consistent with quality personal prayer time; know Him more through the Scriptures using Lectio Divina which deepens my Scripture reading and praying; giving me more intent in listening to the Lord so that I may respond to Him with love and wisdom. There is much to learn from the Lord that craves my heart; to be united to the Lord in love is my utmost desire. I need your grace, dear Lord!

I must continue to know Him more, by being consistent with quality personal prayer time; know Him more through the Scriptures using Lectio Divina which deepens my Scripture reading and praying; giving me more intent in listening to the Lord so that I may respond to Him with love and wisdom. There is much to learn from the Lord that craves my heart; to be united to the Lord in love is my utmost desire. I need your grace, dear Lord!

April 9 (3)

The results tell me that I am right. And this time I am not happy I am right. My answers to both questions reflect the majority. We are the cause of this distancing from God. And that is why we are being reminded.
Help us our Lord to be more prayerful so as to always remind is to return to you with our whole mind, whole heart and whole soul. Grant us your grace to change our lives and follow your holy will.
Amen.

Learning and knowing more about our Lord Jesus Christ through scripture reading and mentoring are the best ways to narrow the distance between me and the Lord. Just like we get to appreciate and love a person more by getting to know the person deeper, we will also be able to love and appreciate our Lord more if we get to know Him more.

I promise to continue to pray the Rosary Novena mindfully and to start my day by reading the Bible, or a book of faith, something I always used to say I was too busy for. Lord, guide me on this task. Help me to remember to begin and end my day with you, for you, in you.

I used to do a Gratitude Journal—taking less than five minutes a day—where I would write just a few lines of how the Lord was present to me for that day and what positive experiences I was blessed with, as a way to relish God’s goodness. Even this easy practice has fallen by the wayside. It’s time to bring it back.

My fear puts great distance between Jesus and me. To lessen the distance, I have to make the choice not to fear and I ask Jesus to help me do this everyday. Asking Him for help everday lessens the distance.

Dear Lord, Grant me the grace to listen and follow you. May you help me strengthen my resolve to always do better . AMEN

Yes, please Lord – help is so to live that NOTHING WE DO can mistaken by us as not involving You and our relationship = our eating and taking healthy care of our body – Your temple, o Holy Spirit! Let us be aware we are in Your presence = as we choose what to wear to what occasion, as we laugh and as we find something amusing, as we tell and make our jokes; that You are with us in at th moviehouse, theatres, shows, in front of the TV and digital screens. Help be aware that we can’t even draw our breath without Your loving care and Providence!! Especially in this country of ours, Catholic in name, may Your presence in, with, and among us be seen and felt in our day-to-day living. Let us no longer keep You away from politics, precincts, buy and sell. Let us not walk away from Sunday Masses leaving You behind in the church with almost an attitude of putting You in “Your place”(!) as we go out to relax and enjoy ourselves. Let the scales at last fall from our eyes amd with Joy see You in Your Glory in our beloved land –

Lord, you have been my closest friend with your Mother, I depend so much on your guidance for me. I could not do or move with out your or your mother’s telling me. I’m your servant, I move or do only on your command, sometimes I’m surprised on the things I can do or say. I know I’m your instrument to tell others of your wish & command. Thank you, Lord for using me to do your holy will for us all. Here I am, Lord, use me to help others, lead me to them.

Continue prayer; beg for graces, do not ever assume that they are or will be given; be disciplined; beg for faith; beg for humility in discernment.

I cannot do it alone. Deep within: I am terrified and lost without you. But my pride and built-in misplaced independence are the Devil’s favorite threads in his cunning spinning wheel.

So I repeat, every time I sense the Devil’s thread weaving through me: I am nothing and no one without You. It is not I but YOU, please draw me near.

In this time of ecq, it has taught me how to end the day with the Lord and start the day with Him too by praying the rosary each time. It has brought me inner peace and strength to weather the crisis . I commit even more to make time to be silent for few mins each day to listen to Him and meditate.

To continuously Trust Him and patiently wait for what He has planned for me, and listen to what He wants me to do for Him. I will need to “pause” on prayers or reflection and allow the present moment to flow in an upward spiral on a daily basis… or during times of sadness, fears and anxieties.

I can continue having a daily examen so I can fully converse with the Lord and at the same time, meditate.

Spending more QUALITY time with the Lord; speak to Him more frequetly – Even just small chats as though I am speaking to a friend

My baby step is praying in the morning, before meals, and before going to bed and saying prayers daily.

I’ve been much closer with the Lord now that we are under Enhanced Community Quarantine. I’ve had more time to converse and bridge the gap that I have created when I thought I was too busy or too tired every night to pray even just for a few minutes. I confess that my priorities weren’t set properly before, I was always doing things which, truthfully, weren’t really that important. I was spending time on my phone, mindlessly scrolling, instead of talking with the Lord. I regret this and am trying my best to move towards the Lord again.

Lord, I pray that I continue on the right path even after this crisis – the path that will bring me closer to You. I’m sorry for having been distant in the past. I will do my best to keep our relationship as it is now – enriching and nourishing to my soul. Thank you. Amen.

Faithfully spend time with Him in prayer, meditation and reading the Scriptures. If there’s one good thing this pandemic has caused us, it gave us a lot of idle time, and what best to spend this idle time than spending it in prayer, meditation and Scripture reading.

Also, I think one good thing to do is to faithfully do spiritual journaling – to document the day that came and the challenges, opportunities and graces that came with it. It is also a good time to remember God’s faithfulness to us and vice versa for that day.

Persevere in prayer even if you succumb to distractions when in prayer. Jesus understands how weak we are. He is happy when we ask Hm to help us pray.

It’s really letting go and Letting God take over. To stop being in control. To constantly remind myself that God is a lot bigger than all these. To trust my heart and not my head. To allow my faith to direct me.

Dear God, Please don’t give up on me. I know I am stubborn and proud but I believe your love is greater than my stubborness and pride. You are my God and my all. I just want to be where you are. Make me yours, all yours. Amen.

Keep spending time with God in both big and little ways —talking to Him like I do with trusted friends and family..
Need to learn more how to listen to even the littlest of notions and nudges as well as those obvious but I choose to overlook.

Too busy, too tired. That’s what I usually tell myself and God.
And now, I’m not so busy, but I’m still tired.
Your words in today’s retreat are like Jesus looking at me, for all the times when I excused myself because I was too tired or too scared or too busy.
I weep

I have created my distance by being too righteous compared to other people around me. And because of that, I easily lose patience, say hurting words, and fail the people I love the most. And oftentimes or most of the time, I am too proud to say I’m sorry.

I would like to think that I have a personal relationship with God, but I also know that this relationship is often affected by the many things I feel I need to do. I think that the many things I keep myself busy with, is what’s keeping my distance with God. I’m just blessed to be working in a Catholic school that provides many opportunities so that I can still pause and carve time for prayer, so my relationship with God is nourished. However, given this ECQ, I lost that opportunity and now it made me realize that I have to be the one to decide and design my schedule so that I am still able to spend time in prayer.

GOD’s blessings and graced to me has, ironically, made me feel “entitled”, more than consciously GRATEFUL to HIM, to my family, to my neighbors & friends and to my work-colleagues. From today, I will endeavor to “say & think” THANK YOU first when I meet anyone. Even when I am not too pleased with that person or what he/she did, I will say THANK YOU at least because I am STILL ALIVE TO DO SO. “Post-Covid”, everyone’s survival will be due not only to GOD but to the many, courageous (& possible unseen) efforts of our brethren. This, I Hope NEVER to forget.

I too ask for your understanding. I become unfocused ont hings that matter but will make a resolve that I need a quiet place to do this

In the past have created a distance between me and the Lord by not being grateful to those people that have been part of my life in the fast..
People who helped get through my difficult times, confused and afraid. I’m sorry Lord, please help me to make up from my past. Right now, being a service to others is one way of making myself closer to you my Lord.

The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. If I have my me-time, I should set a HIS-time also and make it a habit.

I have always been distracted in most areas in my life so have not been a very successful being. I pray that I am blessed to be more prioritized esp. towards better relationship to God.

For the whole duration of the ECQ, I will try to commit to at least 2 silent personal prayer times with God each day and entrust my heart and mind to Him by being completely honest and transparent about how I feel, what is in my heart and on my mind, what I desire and like (both deeply and superficially), what I truly hope for, what is hurting and bothering me greatly, while learning to find God’s humor in my life.

Yes. Because this is the most crucial moment in my lifetime..life and death situation. I want to hear what God is doing about it.

I’ve been praying and trying to keep my spiritual life healthy, but somehow my life still revolves largely around my needs, my work, the things I’m busy with, etc.

But what about service to others? What about working for the poor and less fortunate? What have I done to help improve their situation? How have I contributed towards meaningful and sustainable change? Honestly, I haven’t, despite the stark clarity with which our faith compels us to do so.

In other words, even if I pray everyday, my faith hasn’t been translated into actions, into my life. I am struggling to overcome this placidity. ?

Yes I need the Holy Spirit to guide me through this. Getting old makes me more less focused and only focused on my needs alone.

I feel the same way – what have I given of myself to others – to God that I can be proud of? Yes I have given money – it’s the easiest to give – no sweat ! I need to give of myself – that should be my prayer – self giving – what are words without actions worth? Lord make me an instrument of your peace . Use me . I’m so afraid to say it but I trust in you – break me Lord. But please pour your previous blood over my family- over my children who are frontliners in this battle . Please protect them.

The distance between me and the Lord, I feel, will always be there–sometimes wider, sometimes narrower. Sometimes life can be so overwhelming that I fail to remember that, even amid the loudest noise, the biggest opportunities, and the most numbing feelings of confusion, he listens to my fears and insecurities, only that I fail to humble myself and ask for mercy and forgiveness for my lack of vigor, to admit that many times, even at my strongest and most confident, I need to recognize that this is not and will never be all me.

Yes I need the Holy Spirit to guide me through this. Getting old makes me more less focused and only focused on my needs alone.

Laziness is a fault I admit and I confess that. Stress makes me weak and lazy so dear God keep me with the energy in my old years to keep our relationship close and intimate.

Committing to prayer time is a challenge. I know that thr Lord is waiting for me at prayer time and yet I forget ? I bury myself with other trivial matters . Forgive me Lord.

I too ask for your understanding. I become unfocused ont hings that matter but will make a resolve that I need a quiet place to do this

I will do my best to focus more during prayer/reflection time with God, minus the distractions (e.g. phone, irrelevant thoughts, etc).

This is challenging because time it seems fly so fast. Should be more aware of this challenge to ward off the devil in my midst.

Our human frailties and the distractions of the world are responsible for the yawning gap between God and myself. But with the strength I hope to get from this retreat, I will make a daily and conscious effort to make him an active part of my being.

This is challenging because time it seems fly so fast. Should be more aware of this challenge to ward off the devil in my midst.

I will try my very best to resist temptation of flesh by keeping me busy of the things that God would be happy like reading inspirational books, listening or watching motivational videos and limiting my time on seeing my newsfeed in my Facebook and Twitter accounts. Have a tracker matrix on when or how many times I failed or been successful in keeping close with God.

I always make it a point to do an examen in a day and journal my feelings to God. I feel like God is an intimate friend with whom I can disclose my desires and shame. However, due to busyness, I have slowly neglected journalling and praying. This holy week is a perfect time to reactivate this. ♥️?

I have been using the app Pray as you go for the past year but not religously, this time let it be my priority so I can start every time I wake up using it to keep me close with our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen

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