Do you ever feel like you have nothing left to give? There are seasons in our lives when we feel like we have nothing left to give to God, to our relationships, or to our jobs. Today, Dr. Sri encourages us to see our nothingness as an opportunity to meet God in humility.
Snippet from the Show
When we have nothing left to give, we can turn to God, knowing that he can take our nothingness and turn it into something beautiful.
Shownotes
Giving God Your Nothingness
- When we feel empty and exhausted, it can be tempting to despair or grow discouraged, but God wants to meet us in our nothingness.
- The angels and saints rejoice when we meet God in our nothingness.
- A feeling of nothingness is good for the soul because it purifies our hearts to long for God and not just for his consolations. Sometimes we just focus on the consolations of prayer and what we can get out of prayer but the human heart’s deepest desire is not for consolations, or a feeling of closeness to God, but for God himself.
- Even when God withdraws the feeling of his closeness, he is still present to us. In our darkness and emptiness, we can give God our nothingness.
- Never leave the chapel, prayer time, or the Mass feeling like you have accomplished nothing.Offer to God your nothingness.
- Our nothingness is an opportunity to meet God in humility.
- Don’t let ever let a “nothing” day go to waste.
- Our nothingness is never an excuse for spiritual sloth.
- We can offer God our nothingness anywhere but the most powerful place to offer God our nothingness is at the Mass, where we unite our entire life to Christ. When we unite our brokenness to Jesus’ brokenness on the Cross, it’s lifted up to the Father and transformed.
Resources
- Visit Dr. Sri’s website at www.edwardsri.com and to book online events with Dr. Sri email events.edwardsri@gmail.com
- Find more of Dr. Sri’s episodes at www.ascensionpress.com/allthingscatholic
- Ascension is pleased to offer our new and improved online bible study programs and sacramental preparation programs digitally to help you minister with flexibility. Go to www.ascensionpress.com to view all our offerings
Dr. Edward Sri is a theologian, well-known Catholic speaker, and author of several best-selling books. His work with Ascension includes study programs such as A Biblical Walk Through the Mass, No Greater Love: A Biblical Walk Through Christ’s Passion and Mary: A Biblical Walk with the Blessed Mother. Several of Dr. Sri’s programs were filmed on-site in the Holy Land, and feature immersive video explorations of the sacred sites where Jesus, Mary, and the Apostles lived and died.
Dr. Sri is the host of the acclaimed Ascension podcast All Things Catholic with Dr. Edward Sri. Together with Curtis Martin, Dr. Sri is a founding leader of the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS), of which he serves as senior vice president of Apostolic Outreach.
Dr. Sri lives with his wife Beth and their children in Colorado.
Talk about a feeling on “nothingness”. This past month, September 2021, I experienced the worst feeling of nothingness that I’ve ever experienced in my whole life!! My whole family came down with COVID. First it was my teenagers, which recovered pretty quickly and without any serious side effects. But then it was my 96 yr old momma whom was under my care. I had hope but I also knew what her chances were. A few days after she developed symptoms I also began feeling ill. I was ok for a few days. Mild symptoms at first all the while trying to tend to my mom whose symptoms were also not so severe. As the illness progressed I knew that I could no longer care for my mom adequately and made the mostly difficult decision of sending her to the hospital, alone!!! I could do nothing as my own body was shutting down. The pain was unbearable!!! My mom was in the hospital a week before she finally succumbed. My husband by this time had also begun to battle this horrible virus. The day after my moms passing we both ended up in the hospital with pneumonia. Since my mom was in my care it was MY responsibility to take care of her end of life issues. Talk about feeling helpless!!! By the Grace of God our kids without hesitation stepped up and took care f everything. I have no doubt it was the Grace of God at work. All the while I can honestly say I felt a great peace and comfort that I can only refer to as supernatural. I got out of the hospital the day before my moms rosary. Her hometown is five hours away and obviously as per drs orders it was not advisable to travel so soon. Thank God for modern technology I was able to view my moms funeral through Facebook live. Obviously it’s not the same. I was denied the privilege of saying goodbye to my mom. I don’t know how long it will take to reconcile with how everything turned out and I am trying not to question Gods will. It will be a challenge for sure. Thanks to my faith I was able to acknowledge my nothingness before God and I was able to offer up my sufferings.
Like St Therese I too can offer up thanksgiving for something I have zero understanding of. As Romans 8:28 says,
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Help me pray for my mothers soul. Her name was Elisa Maldonado. 💔🙏🏼