Tracing God’s Love Story From the Manger to My Heart Through the Seasons

A reflection on how Advent, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost reveal the God who comes close.

The Quiet Miracle of a Love That Came Close

There’s a line I stumbled today in one of my friend's facebook post from Fr. Robert Baer.

 It felt like a soft whisper of truth that just hit the spot as I read and contemplated on it.

I sat with it for a while, and then I realized, this isn’t just theology. 

It’s my story. 

It’s our story. 

It’s the story the Church has been faithfully helping us live, through the manger, the cross, and the fire of Pentecost.

It’s a love story that’s still unfolding.

And somehow, it leads straight to the quiet corners of my heart.

When God Drew Near – Bethlehem

I love the hush of Advent. The waiting. The candles. The longing wrapped in hope.
Then, suddenly, Bethlehem.

Bethlehem always feels soft and warm in my mind—candlelight services, carols, and nativity scenes. But think about the wonder of it: God wrapped Himself in skin and came close. “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14).

God with us. Not watching from afar. Not waiting for us to reach higher to meet Him halfway.

In the seasons I’ve felt unseen or misunderstood, Bethlehem reminds me that God didn’t stay far off. He stepped right into the dust and ordinary of human life.

When Love Took My Place – Calvary

Last Lent, I rewatched "The Passion of the Christ" with different set of eyes. 

I was crying the whole time. It was like the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary right in front of me and all I can think of saying is "I'm so sorry Jesus, that was me!". It was our sins that crucified Him.

Calvary was where the nearness of God turned costly. Jesus didn’t just walk among us—He stood in our place. The weight of every sin I’ve carried, every shame I’ve tried to hide, was willingly borne by Him. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

When I question my worth or doubt His love, the cross answers me again: You are worth dying for. Not because of who I am, but because of who He is.

We venerate the crucifix because it’s not just a symbol, it’s our salvation.  In every Mass, we return to Calvary, not to repeat His death, but to receive its eternal grace. 

Every Eucharist is a celebration of His love poured out.

When Heaven Moved In – Pentecost

And then, the wind.  Pentecost, fifty days after Easter. 

The descent of the Holy Spirit upon Mary and the Apostles wasn’t a one-time miracle, it was the birth of the Church, the Body of Christ on earth.  “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.” – Acts 2:4

At Baptism, we received the Spirit. At Confirmation, we were sealed with His gifts. And in the daily moments when we lean into grace, pray, forgive, and serve, we live by the Spirit who dwells within us.

The same Spirit who moved in the Upper Room is present every time we pray the Rosary, kneel in Adoration, or whisper “Come, Holy Spirit” when we’re not sure what to do next.

We celebrate Christmas. We honor Good Friday and Easter. But Pentecost is the moment God moved in (1 Corinthians 6:19). 

God didn’t just walk beside His people anymore. He chose to dwell within us and that changes everything. I’m not walking this life alone.  

The same Spirit who raised Christ from the dead (Romans 8:11) is empowering me in the daily, the ordinary, and the in-between.

The Story That Still Changes Everything - Living Pentecost Today

Some days, I still live like He’s only beside me or above me. But really, He’s within me. 

The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 8:11) breathes life into my ordinary days. 

And if I really believed that, wouldn’t everything change?

So here I am, letting this simple quote become a whispered prayer: 

Bethlehem, draw me to wonder. Calvary, remind me I’m loved. Pentecost, help me walk empowered.

God with us.
God for us.
God in us.

This is the miracle that keeps on giving. 

And that, is our Love Story.

💌 Final Whisper

If you’ve been feeling distant from God, remember: He didn’t just come to be near you—He came to be in you. There is no part of your life too small, too messy, or too ordinary for His Spirit to fill. I’m praying we all walk with fresh awareness this week:
God came close, and He never left.

With grace and gratitude,

Come, Holy Spirit.
Come into the quiet.
And write this story deep in my heart again.

With grace and gentleness,
Marissa



Comments

  1. MARK PHILOMENAJune 8, 2025 at 4:39 PM

    What a beautiful reflection and journey you took us on and it expressed exactly how I feel. What a beautiful love story indeed. ❤️

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Comments are moderated. No spam, hate speech, or inappropriate content allowed.

Popular posts from this blog

How Total Consecration to Mary Changed My Life

Image
Last December 8, I completed something that scared me and deeply moved me:  Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary. I had read about it before but thought it was too intense. Too mystical. Too Marian. But as I grew in prayer, especially through the daily Rosary, I began to see Mary not as a distant figure, but as a gentle mother who leads us to her Son.   She isn’t in competition with Jesus, she draws us closer to Him. The 33-day consecration preparation was a spiritual boot camp. I was following Gabriel Castillo's Gabi's 2nd Channel in Youtube which I documented in my Fiat Faith Facebook (for those who want to start their Consecration by St Max Kolbe) It exposed my pride, my distractions, and my hunger for God.   And when the day of consecration came, I handed over everything, my prayers, sufferings, joys, and future, into her Immaculate Heart. Since then, I’ve felt a new confidence in my walk. I still struggle. But I no longer feel alone. “Totus Tuus ego sum, et omni...
Read more

Cooking the Soul : A Perfect Recipe

Image
A reflection for you to think about when you cook your next meal. The soul, like a good meal, takes time to prepare. It’s not instant.  It’s a slow, sacred process, one God Himself oversees. He begins with the raw ingredients: our brokenness, our hopes, our past, our potential.  Nothing is wasted.  In His hands, even our wounds become flavor. Faith is the base, the flour in the bread, the stock in the soup. Without it, the soul stays flat and unformed. Scripture is the recipe, God’s voice guiding every step, always nourishing. And prayer is the stirring, consistent, sometimes silent, sometimes desperate, but always drawing everything together. There’s heat, too. Life brings suffering, trials, delays we don’t always understand but in God’s kitchen, heat transforms.  It softens pride, brings out truth, and deepens compassion.  What feels like burning is often refining. Then comes forgiveness, our own, and what we extend to others.  Like yeast, it makes room f...
Read more

Jesus in My Arms: Grace Beyond Worthiness

Image
This morning, my friend Mark , shared a beautiful meditation that completely re-centered me.  It was simple but so vivid: " Can you imagine the Lil Baby Sacred Heart beating in His sweet little chest?" Just those words invited me into something more tender, more intimate than I had let myself ponder in a long time.  A real baby.  Our God as a child, fragile and small enough to be held. I tried to imagine it. I really did. As a mom of four grown-up girls, I can still remember the feeling of holding a baby in my arms. What a beautiful thought. The baby Jesus, His tiny breath, the rhythm of His little Heart pressed against mine. That feeling of being trusted with something so Perfect. Something so full of Love itself.  And almost instantly— I pulled away.   Not because I didn’t want to be close. I did. So much.  But because something inside whispered,  “You are not worthy.”  And honestly? That felt true.  I’m not.   I thought, " How could...
Read more