S1 E34: Desire, Motivation, and the Love of God

Transcript

Carol Vassar:

From SS. Isidore and Maria Parish in Glastonbury, Connecticut, I'm Carol Vassar, and this is Living in Faith, Hope, and Love. Each week, our Pastor, Father Mark Suslenko, delves into Scripture, shares insights from the saints, prophets, and theologians, and discusses practical ways to cultivate faith, strengthen hope, and embody love in the world around us. Through his reflections and spiritual encouragement, this podcast aims to inspire you to live your Catholic faith with joy and purpose. Welcome. 

We all have desires—things we want, goals we chase, prayers we offer up again and again. But how often do we stop to ask ourselves why we want what we want?

In today’s episode of the podcast, Father Mark invites us to look more closely at the desires and motivations that shape our relationship with God. Are we focused on what God can do for us, or are we seeking to encounter God’s presence itself?

“Desire, Motivation, and the Love of God,” by Father Mark S. Suslenko, Pastor, SS. Isidore and Maria Parish, Glastonbury, Connecticut

Father Mark Suslenko:

There are a couple of things we really need to reflect upon often when it comes to our relationship with God. The first is desire, and the second is motivation. Desire and motivation. Put another way: what do we want and why do we want it? So, as we seek out God's presence in our life, our desire and our motivation are going to be pivotal in helping us understand where we are in terms of that relationship and whether our expectations of God are reasonable. Desire and motivation: what do we want, and why do we want it?

Sometimes in our relationships on human levels, especially when it comes to a parent to a child, or even spouses and friends, we sometimes bypass an engagement with the essence of the person in lieu of what they can do for us. So, you have a child, for example, that really wants a cookie, and the parent has told the child no cookie until after dinner. Well, it's two o'clock in the afternoon. The child wants that cookie now, and the child pouts and has a temper tantrum and does everything under the sun to get that parent to cave and give them the cookie just to keep them quiet. In that particular instance, the motivation is self-focused, and so is the desire.

Sometimes we relate to God in that way, too. We place expectations and desires on God that focus more on what we expect God to do for us than having an encounter with the actual presence of God. Jesus cautioned his disciples about this several times. He blatantly told them. You have to empty yourself of yourself. You have to die to yourself so that you can live. You have to put your own cares and concerns aside so that you can be available for others. Don't worry about the hairs on your head. God has all of that under control. So, Jesus keeps pushing his friends to this place of self-abandonment and this place of trust, which, really, when you get down to it, is a place of love. And he's trying to get them and us to see that it's not what God can do for us that's important. It's who God can be for us that's important. And when we realize that once we encounter God's perfect, unconditional, divine love, then we've really accomplished all we really need to do. Resting in the presence of God satisfies all human needs and desires, and we find ourselves wanting for little else. The needs and the concerns of this world begin to fade away rather quickly, and we begin to see that our souls and our hearts are really meant to rest in the life to come.

Motivation and desire. What do you want, and why do you want it? If the answer is simply the love of God and the embrace of his presence, then you have discovered that deep and lasting peace that only a connection with your creator can provide. Then, regardless of how life plays out, you will carry within yourselves this fundamental trust that whatever God's decision may be, it will always be right and just.

Carol Vassar:

Father Mark Suslenko is the pastor of SS. Isidore and Maria Parish in Glastonbury, Connecticut. If you like what you've heard today, please subscribe to Living in Faith, Hope, and Love on your favorite podcast app and take a moment to leave a review.

SS. Isidore and Maria is an active parish community, so whether you’re a long-time parishioner or are just getting to know us through this podcast, we welcome you to join us at Masses or any of our other community events and services. Visit our parish website - isidoreandmaria.org - for a full schedule of Masses, services and other happenings. That's isidoreandmaria.org. We're also active on Facebook and Instagram.

On behalf of Father Mark, I'm Carol Vassar, and we thank you for listening to this episode of Living in Faith, Hope, and Love.