 One brisk winter day a few weeks ago, I walked through the rosary garden at a local shrine. A cool breeze brushed up against my face, and the setting sun left a picturesque view over the hills of Pennsylvania. Taking in this beautiful scenic day, I was talking with the Lord about the burdens of my heart. I would like to say that 2018 ended with a joyous close, but in reality, it was quite a time of wrestling with the Lord. I was bringing to Jesus and Mary all that has been on my heart-the joys, struggles, hopes, and relationships. I came on retreat to take time to find answers with the Lord and to talk with Him as a friend. In the midst of my day at the shrine, the words of a meditation I had read years before came to mind. “God does indeed give people to us; he gives us brothers and sisters in our humanity... Every such person, in some way, is a gift to us, and we can say of each: 'God has given you to me'” – Meditation on Givenness I came across this reflection of St. John Paul II right before a women’s conference I went to in 2016, but these words seemed so prevalent to me now. In the depths of difficult changes in relationships and in life, God was speaking to my heart about communion with Him and others. Sisters, you and I are meant for communion. We, as daughters made in God’s image and likeness are made for relationship!  God speaks to us. He pursues our hearts daily. But often, we just aren’t attentive enough to listening to his voice. One of the most powerful ways He speaks to us is through the people He has put in our lives. Each and every person has been put into our life at a specific time for a reason. The uniqueness of who he/she is an unfathomable grace. They are a gift for you to experience God’s love through them, and also to bring Him to them. It is through such relationships in our lives that Christ makes His love and salvation known to us. When God gives people to us, he is entrusting them to us. This means that He trusts us with an immense gift…The human person. He is calling you in the midst of the gift He blesses you with. Jesus is here. Do you find Him in your ordinary? In your relationships- whether at work, home, or in friendships, do you receive Him? Who does God gift you with today? As we begin 2019, may we bring this intention to Our Lady. She is an example of a woman who lived relationships to the full. She was the one who traveled to help her cousin in pregnancy and helped the couple at the Wedding at Cana. May she intercede for us, that we may be women who live out authentic relationships to the fullest! To read more of St. John Paul II's "Meditation on Givenness", please go to this link: https://www.communio-icr.com/files/jpii41-4.pdf
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