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Several months ago, my son and I added a playful banter to our bedtime routine. He would say, “Good night! I love you!” and I would respond, “I love you more!” He would insist, “No, I love you more!” We would go back and forth a few times and end up giggling together. More recently, as he is heading out of our bedroom door he will toss over his shoulder, “I love you both!” (referring to my husband and I) and I say, “I love you both!” A couple times he just laughed it off, but one night he responded, “But I’m just one person!” And I said, “I love you, and Jesus inside of you, so it’s still appropriate.” He smiled and headed downstairs to his room. 

Some time later, I experienced a similar conversation with my Creator during a time of personal prayer. I use The Word Among Us booklet as a prayer tool and in one of the daily reflections I read: “It’s hard for us to imagine just how much we mean to God.” That made me do a double take and I said “Well, You mean so much to me, Jesus!” and He responded, “No, you mean so much to Me!” 

Sometimes it’s hard for us to imagine this kind of love. Especially when we are going through a particularly difficult time, or we feel trapped in sin, or we can’t fathom how we are worthy enough. But if we are able to quiet our hearts enough to take it in, we need look no farther than the cross to find evidence of this love. Ready or not, here He comes. His love is a present and persistent reality. And we mean so much to Him. 

We are included in the group that Jesus calls blessed in today’s Gospel. We can go to adoration and see what others have not seen – Jesus present in the monstrance. We can go to Mass or to Bible study or talk to a faithful friend and hear what others have not heard – the Word of God. Through the gift of knowledge from the Holy Spirit we can begin to understand the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven. And if our hearts are open to it, we can indeed be healed and converted by our loving God. 

So, today I invite you to express to God just how much He means to you and just how much you love Him. And in the silence of your heart, hear Him respond back to you, “I love you more!”

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Hace varios meses, uno de mis hijos y yo añadimos una charla divertida a nuestra rutina nocturna. Él decía: “¡Buenas noches! ¡Te amo!” y yo respondía: “¡Te amo más!”. Él insistía: “¡No, yo te amo más a ti!” Intercambiábamos algunas veces más y terminábamos riéndonos. Más recientemente, al salir de nuestra habitación, me decía: “¡Los amo a ambos!” (refiriéndose a mi esposo y a mí) y yo le decía: “¡Los amo a ambos, también!” Un par de veces simplemente se reía, pero una noche respondió: “¡Pero si soy una sola persona!”. Y yo le dije: “Te amo a ti, y a Jesús dentro de ti, así que sigue siendo apropiado”. Sonrió y bajó a su habitación.

Un tiempo después, tuve una conversación semejante con mi Creador durante un momento de oración personal. Uso el librito “La Palabra Entre Nosotros” como herramienta de oración y en una de mis reflexiones diarias leí: “Nos cuesta imaginar cuánto le significamos a Dios”. Eso me hizo reflexionar y dije: “¡Bueno, Jesús, tú significas mucho para mí!”. Él respondió: “¡No, tú significas mucho para mí!”

A veces nos cuesta imaginar este tipo de amor. Especialmente cuando estamos pasando por un momento particularmente difícil, o nos sentimos atrapados en el pecado, o no podemos comprender cómo somos lo suficientemente dignos. Pero si logramos aquietar nuestros corazones lo suficiente, no tenemos que mirar más allá de la cruz para encontrar evidencia de este amor. Listos o no, allí viene. Su amor es una realidad presente y persistente. Y a Él le significamos mucho.

Estamos incluidos en el grupo que Jesús llama dichosos en el Evangelio de hoy. Podemos ir a la adoración y ver lo que otros no han visto: a Jesús presente en la Eucaristia. Podemos ir a misa, a estudiar la Biblia o hablar con un amigo fiel y escuchar lo que otros no han oído: la Palabra de Dios. Mediante el don del conocimiento del Espíritu Santo, podemos comenzar a comprender los misterios del Reino de los Cielos. Y si nuestro corazón está abierto, nuestro Dios amoroso puede sanarnos y convertirnos.

Así que hoy te invito a expresarle a Dios cuánto significa para ti y cuánto lo amas. Y en el silencio de tu corazón, escúchalo responderte: “¡Yo te amo más!”

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Tami Urcia is a midwestern gal from a large Catholic family. As a young adult she was a missionary in Mexico, where she studied theology and philosophy. After returning stateside bilingual, she gained a variety of work experience, traveled extensively and finished her Bachelor’s Degree at Brescia University. She loves organizing and simplifying things, watching her children play sports, deep conversations with close family and friends and finding unique ways to brighten others’ day with Christ’s love. She works full time at Diocesan in the Software Department and manages the Inspiration Daily reflections. She is also a contributing writer on CatholicMom.com and BlessedIsShe.net.

Feature Image Credit: Sixteen Miles Out, unsplash.com/photos/brown-woven-hat-on-white-book-page-cfdRjQGiSUc

The views and opinions expressed in the Inspiration Daily blog are solely those of the original authors and contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of Diocesan, the Diocesan staff, or other contributors to this blog.