Healing in the Gaze of Jesus (with Sr. Miriam James Heidland, SOLT)
Nov 28, 2024
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Sr. Miriam James Heidland, a member of the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity, discusses profound themes of healing and spiritual growth. She shares personal experiences of overcoming childhood trauma through love and community. The conversation emphasizes the transformative power of forgiveness and the importance of acknowledging pain for healing. Sr. Miriam highlights the joy in embracing vulnerability, and how God’s loving gaze can guide us toward a deeper relationship with Him, ultimately preparing our hearts for a joyful Advent.
Healing from past wounds requires embracing Christ's love to confront personal struggles and foster spiritual growth through vulnerability.
Forgiveness is an intentional choice that allows us to process pain and release bitterness, paving the way for transformation.
Living with intention and preparing for our encounter with God reduces fear of death, fostering honesty and integrity in relationships.
Deep dives
The Healing Power of Love
Time alone cannot heal all wounds; rather, it is love that truly brings healing. The speaker emphasizes the importance of allowing Christ's love into our brokenness, shame, and personal struggles. By reflecting on areas where we have not loved like Jesus, we can identify where we need to grow in our faith and Christlikeness. This journey through Advent becomes an opportunity to prepare ourselves to encounter the Lord directly and meaningfully.
Healing Through Vulnerability
True healing involves a deep vulnerability, where we are called to bring our wounds before God and allow ourselves to be seen as we truly are. The discussion highlights the need to confront our trauma and acknowledge the ways it affects our current lives, including our relationships. Embracing this process means not merely seeking to 'fix' ourselves, but engaging in an ongoing encounter with God's love and truth. This encounter can lead us to wholeness and a more profound communion with ourselves and others.
The Journey of Forgiveness
Forgiveness is framed as a conscious choice to let go of the debts owed to us by others. The conversation stresses that true forgiveness is not about diminishing the hurt we feel or simply forgetting, but about recognizing the full weight of what has been taken from us and emotionally processing it. This journey may require us to acknowledge our feelings of anger or resentment while also understanding that healing can be initiated through prayer and intentional actions. By offering an undeserved gift of forgiveness, we allow ourselves to be transformed, shedding the burden of bitterness.
Facing Death with Grace
The contemplation of death invites us to examine our lives and our relationships in the here and now. By living each day with intention and preparing ourselves for our eventual encounter with God, we can reduce the fear associated with death. This means striving to resolve any lingering issues and practicing an honest approach to our relationships, ensuring that we have nothing hidden from God. Ultimately, this prepares us for a joyful experience upon meeting the Lord face to face.
The Importance of Daily Reflection
The journey of healing and forgiveness is rooted in daily self-examination and reflection, which fosters a deeper understanding of oneself and one's relationship with God. The speaker encourages making time for this practice, posing the question of what we need to do today to live with integrity and authenticity. This daily approach serves as a pathway to be more loving, forgiving, and aligned with Christ's example. The conversation underscores that the journey toward healing, although challenging, is absolutely worth the effort in living a fully alive and authentic life.
In this 3-part series filmed backstage at the 2024 Good News Conference, Fr. Mike sits down with 3 special guests to discuss prayer, the sacraments, and how to prepare to meet Jesus "face to face" this coming Advent.
Fr. Mike and Sr. Miriam examine our needs for healing from sin, trauma, and a broken past, and uncover the luminous power of God's loving gaze on our hearts, minds, and souls.
Want to go deeper this Advent? Join Fr. Mike Schmitz in a journey through the daily readings as he confronts our doubts and reveals God's love with Ascension-app-exclusive daily video reflections and scripture passages: https://link.ascension-app.com/caouRw13GNb
Too often, we live life by "default". We forget that we are on a journey to an eternal destination of joy that we were made for. We are burdened by fears and questions: what if I am not worthy? What if I am not enough?
Live Advent differently this year. Prepare to meet God, face to face. Only available on the Ascension App.