God is constantly calling us to Him, how are we responding to the call?
In His Book The Hero With A Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell theorized that there is a common structure to hero stories around the world. He referred to this structure as the monomyth and broke down its various stages.
In the first stage, the hero is called.
Do you remember the story of the Prodigal Son? In the parable of the Prodigal Son we are told of the younger heir and his wasteful spending of his inheritance. The word prodigal means to be recklessly extravagant, and the younger son is certainly that. He squanders his fortune and almost loses his life before finally realizing that he would be better off as the least of his father’s servants, and decides to return home.
Then, according to St. Luke, “While he (the younger son) was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him…He ran to his son…”
We can easily imagine the father looking for his son’s return every day from some high vantage point on his property. Perhaps every morning and evening he would climb to the roof or a watchtower, and look off into the distance, hoping for his son’s return. And as soon as he sees him he rushes towards him.
God never ceases to watch for us and wait for us, calling us home. He is always there waiting and hoping for our return to Him.
The first step in our spiritual journey, is answering that call, realizing that our lives are meaningless without Him. Are we squandering the gifts and talents He has given us? When we answer the call and begin our journey, God is there to welcome us back with kisses and embraces, to robe us with grace and shod us in sandals that betoken our status as His adopted children, and accompany us on the journey home.
This unconditional love of God is the source of Christian joy. In times of our severest trials, let us remember the Father always knows us, loves, us and reaches out to us, waiting for our return.