The Seeking of God Never Ceases

Remember that the passion of Christ ends always in the joy of the Resurrection, so when you feel in your own heart the suffering of Christ, remember the Resurrection has to come, the joy of Easter has to dawn. Never let anything so fill you with sorrow as to make you forget the joy of the Risen Christ! Mother Theresa.
On Easter Monday, I was feeling somewhat melancholic. The long struggle of the inner pursuit which occurred during during Lent was over, Christ's Resurrection left death in it's wake and the joy of Easter had come, yet I was feeling empty and dry. As I reflected on it, I realized that this feeling wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Ignatius teaches that there are times when you experience desolation that is a "descent into the desert", preparing you for an upcoming consolation. And if think about it this cycle of emptiness, darkness, dreariness, followed by lightness, color, sweetness, melodic, fullness happens fairly regularly and best witnessed in nature. Winter is dreary, cold, brownish, gray, quiet, nothing growing. Springtime follows and each day brings us new buds, new flowers, green growth, brighter and longer days, sounds of birds, squirrels, dogs barking, warmth, color, and life! The Resurrection is the sun breaking through the darkness, it is the dawn of a new day, a new life, a new springtime. We always pursuing it. In a quote from the book The God Who Won't Let Go by Peter van Breemen, S.J. we see that the search for God in never ending: "In our lives, too, seeking and finding God plays a vital role. It never comes to an end. ……the seeking of God never ceases, because God is always greater and more surprising than we expect" You and I may find ourselves having an off day from time to time. We may find it necessary to take some time to reflect on a Psalm or scripture passage. We may need a jump start but we must continue the pursuit.