I've Missed You

The video you see there on the right is pretty funny if you have never seen it before. Take a minute and watch. This dog gets extremely excited when it sees its’ owner. It is hilarious to watch because this dog absolutely cannot contain its’ joy and excitement. Maybe you even have a dog yourself that acts that way when you come home at the end of the day. Even my own dog goes crazy with excitement when certain people he loves, come to visit. It is so fun to watch. But this isn’t just the case for dogs, but for us as well. 

When there is someone whom you haven’t seen for a long time, perhaps a family member in the military who has come home after being gone for an extended period, think of the joy and excitement you feel when they’ve come home because you’ve missed them while they were gone. It is just natural to miss someone, especially someone you love deeply. 

This might sound a little strange to you, but I can only imagine that it must be the way that God feels every time we don’t go to Mass. When you think about it, we all know that the love that we feel toward someone else absolutely pales in comparison to the love that God feels for you and me. Imagine for a minute if the person you love the most, never paid any attention to you. How would that make you feel? 

In Exodus 20:5, He tells us, “for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God.” This verse tells us that, because God loves us so much, when we spend all of our time on everything except Him, that He's not only longing for us to be with Him, but He desires for us to be with Him. That means that when we stay away from Him, God is in fact, missing us. That’s right, when we pay attention to all the things going on in our lives, but we only give Him a little of our time, or worse, forget about Him completely, God does get jealous and He misses us.  

I know that It can be hard for us at times, to imagine that someone loves us so much that they are jealous, especially in those times when we feel like we are not loved, or times when feel that we are not lovable, because of who we are, but that’s what God shows us…love. That’s what God gives us…love. That’s who God is…love. And He gives it to us unconditionally. 

I want you to imagine for minute, this Sunday and you’re getting ready to go to Mass. You get dressed, get in the car and drive to your Church. Along the way, perhaps you’re talking to your family, discussing the day’s activities and not even thinking much about the Mass you’re about to attend. You arrive, get out of the car and walk in. You find a seat and wait for Mass to begin. What you don’t see is how thrilled you just made our Heavenly Father when you walked through those doors. But if you could see it, what you would probably see is Jesus smiling, with arms wide open welcoming you back, with tears of joy simply because you are there with Him. Now, how does that make you feel? Welcomed? Accepted? Loved? Yes, because He has missed you being there, and seeing you come to the greatest banquet on Earth, is how we return that love, by simply being there. Think about that this weekend when you walk through those doors. I truly believe this is the way it is, an unseen celebration that happens every time we celebrate Mass with Jesus. 

What I find even more fascinating to think about, is to imagine how it must be when we finally go home to be with Him forever in the Heavenly kingdom, where we are welcomed not only by all those who have gone before us, but by all the Angels and Saints who will not only rejoice for us when we finally go home, but for all eternity! 

So, the next time you find yourself thinking of someone that you miss, let it remind you that Jesus misses you too. Don't keep Him waiting any more.