Rerooted

Aug 6

Oblates of St. Francis de Sales Toledo- Detroit Province on a recent retreat.

There’s a moment in our spiritual journey when the flame dims—not out of rebellion, but routine. The heart once on fire with love for God now pulses with duty, responsibility, and weariness.

This dimming was shared while I was on retreat, “God, I loved you once… but now I feel like I just work for you.” These words echo a normal drift in ministry, where mission begins to feel like management and prayer becomes perfunctory. It is a grace to become aware of this drift, and this drift is profoundly ordinary.

As St. Francis de Sales writes, “Since the heart is the source of our actions, as the heart is, so are they.” The invitation here is an invitation to the heart. I wish I could say that a vacation, retreat, or book could return the fire to us. Even though these actions are good, the invitation is deeper. God is working to gently reroot your heart to a different source.

To work for...

I once heard the root of this ministerial burnout is the firm belief that I am really the second coming of Christ. Of course, this is false and stubbornly hidden in our hearts. Working for God often forgets that conversion of hearts is an act of grace. Working for leads to constant frustration because it is rooted in a position and a push - “God, if I am working for you, why are things not going my way?”

To work with…

In spiritual direction, I was reminded of a letter St. Francis de Sales wrote St. Jane de Chantal regarding her ministry as the Superior of other Visitation Sisters. This section reminded me of the intimacy, action, and humility of working with…

“Help souls along very gently by word and deed and good example, without worrying too much about those who don’t seem to profit from your efforts. There is nothing you can do about that. God’s interest in these Sisters is greater than yours and He will, in His tender mercy, touch their hearts when He wishes.”

Work doesn’t disappear; it is just rerooted. To work with speaks of relationship, intimacy, and closeness. It is not about a position or a push, it is a presence and a location. Exhaustion isn’t the measure of holiness; rather, the source of the loving action is our measure.

“Lord, let me remain with you while working. You are the transformer of hearts, and I know your interest in those I am with is greater than mine.”

If your heart is being rerooted, know the roots are being called to a different source - a deeper one. A source not rooted in our own strength, but with the One who is actually the Savior.

May God be Praised!