If God has ever left you feeling the weight of an unmet desire, you understand how agonizing the emptiness can feel. It’s an excruciating type of pain, especially felt during the four weeks of Advent where we are asked to wait, long, and hope even more. During this beautiful liturgical season, it seems that that void within us becomes even more palpable than usual.
Often times, God lets us feel the ache of our longings like this more than we thought possible. Christopher West writes eloquently about this phenomenon, describing it as a “dilation” of the heart, where we feel God relentlessly stretching us and setting our desires on fire. However, there is a reason for it. While it hurts to be stretched, God does it so we can receive more fully, so we can be filled with more satisfaction than what we originally had the capacity for, so even more of His love and goodness can be poured forth into our expanded hearts.
I have certainly felt the “growing pains” of unmet desire over the years. Some days it’s not so bad, other times it feels like I can fit a small SUV into the empty space in my heart. I beg God for belonging, acceptance, intimacy, joy, or peace. And when they don’t come, in those very raw moments, I want to cry out like David, “How long, Lord? Will you utterly forget me?…How long must I carry sorrow in my soul, grief in my heart day after day?” (Ps. 13:2-3). But every time I do, a voice within me always replies:
“You belong to Me. I wholly accept you. I am more intimate with you than any earthly lover. I am your joy. I am your peace.”
How easily we forget that He is the fulfillment of our heart’s desires. In the throes of disappointments and unanswered prayer, we must never forget this beautiful reality – that Christ Himself is the answer to the human heart’s deepest yearnings.
This Christmas, let us remember that the coming of the Christ Child is what our weary hearts have ached for all along. He is the fulfillment of our longings for intimacy, fulfillment, joy, and peace. He is there when all else seems empty and hopeless. He is the answer to the hollow feeling deep down that nothing in this life can fill. And He uses the urges within us to point us to Himself.
If the Lord has left you waiting for a desire to be filled, if He has stretched and dilated your heart this season, invite Him into that empty space instead. Ask to receive Him in the fullest capacity possible. You will not be left wanting, I assure you.
“Through longing, [God] expands our soul, and by expanding our soul he increases its capacity. So brethren, let us long, because we are to be filled…Let us stretch ourselves out toward him, that when he comes he may fill us full.” – St. Augustine
2 thoughts on “Christmas: The Fulfillment of Our Deepest Desires”
Another great post. You know in youth something God teaches everyone through the losses of old age…this ain’t heaven down here because that perfect happiness group you see over there laughing together in Starbucks with their air book pro laptop next to their bagel with the bmw suv outside….well they will run into seasons of non laughter…it’s just that you don’t see that in the image they’re projecting right now. Or young Catholics yearn for marriage because they don’t want to die alone…reality check…almost every couple has one member that will die later and alone. Only the early die-er doesn’t die alone. Yes desire marriage but without the delusions…and marry your rough equal in Catholic piety for safety sake. St. Joseph didn’t pick Miley Cyrus did he…Osee was Old Testament and an exception not to be imitated.
Don’t read Mother Teresa on her dark night. From what I read, she went too far in the beat myself up direction….very the opposite of things I read in St. Teresa of Lisieux who wanted a maximum of people to e.g. avoid Purgatory through being advanced in Love ( you can do it also through a plenary indulgence which take a few days and no one does them….mindboggling….half hour of scripture reading plus usual requirements now is one at home plenary…unless you like being saved through fire…” they will be saved yet so as through fire”).
Since you read the saints, watch out for them sometimes contradicting God’s word in the “beat myself up” department…contradicted for those practicing good deeds habitually in Sirach 10:28. ” My son, with humility have self-esteem; and give yourself the esteem you deserve.” Some saints missed that passage for sure and it’s from God.
Thank you so much for this post. Jesus Christ is the only Eternal answer to the desires of our hearts! We can all relate to this.