Every faith journey begins with an awakening of the restless heart. A curiosity that begs answers. A unique, interior stirring that senses God’s presence and longs to answer His invitation.
This awakening is the soul’s first recognition of God — the moment when we notice His presence, hear His invitation, and begin to respond. It is the starting point of the long, beautiful path through purification, illumination, and union, as described by the saints.
Like the turning of the seasons, the spiritual life unfolds in stages. St Teresa of Avila describes it in her writing, The Interior Castle, as the soul’s journey through “mansions” toward union with God. Early mansions are the awakening and recognition of God. Middle mansions focus on growth, practice, community, and struggles with dryness. While the innermost mansions speak of the mystical union with God. She offers vivid images of how the stages progress from surface-level to transformative love.
September carries a natural rhythm of endings and beginnings; summer giving way to autumn, gardens yielding their last fruits, ministries, church programs, and schools starting anew. Just as the world around us shifts, so too does the soul begin its own inner movement. For many, this is the first stirrings of a deeper life of faith: a quiet, sometimes unexplainable longing for God.
This stage, the awakening of the soul to God’s presence, is the doorway to the spiritual journey. It is the restless heart that notices the divine invitation amid ordinary life — the gentle call to conversion, awareness, and relationship.
St. Augustine described this ache vividly:
“You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.”
In his Confessions, we see the recognition of God breaking into a life that is otherwise entangled in distractions and worldly concerns.
As a cradle Catholic, I grew up following the rhythms of my parents – attending Sunday Mass, Wednesday catechism classes, and the sacraments. Going through the motions didn’t provide the relationship God was longing to have with me. It wasn’t until the death of my first child, through miscarriage, that my doubts and questions stirred my heart. I remember my first encounter back at church afterward: entering the little country church alone, I was met with dim lights casting shadows over empty pews. Slowly, I walked up to the altar rail and stared up at the cross, tears streaming down my face. I can’t recall every word, but I know I was angrier than hell – crying out the infamous questions: Why did You take my child? How could a good God allow such a terrible thing?
It was painful, confusing, and messy, but it was this raw life moment that was the entry point to seek truth. That was 40 years ago and the journey continues to evolve. Crisis can often knock us off the path, making us vulnerable, once again, and ready for change. Sometimes we return to a previous stage where we feel safe or we can brave the waters of the unknown.
Awakening, or recognition of God, begins with discovering His reality in our lives. In The Critical Journey, Hagberg and Guelich describe this entry point as evolving in two ways—through awe or through need. Awe comes when we encounter something far greater than ourselves; need often arises in response to pain or discomfort. In both cases, our senses are engaged experientially: a word, a place, or a moment that pierces the ordinary. What follows is a dawning awareness of safety, acceptance, and even excitement as we begin to draw comfort from God’s presence and trust that He is near. St. Ignatius of Loyola notes the “first stirrings” of faith in his Spiritual Exercises, are moments when consolation and desolation reveal God’s presence in life’s movements.
Growth in Faith as a Lifelong Journey
The faith journey does not keep us in one place but has us passing through seasons of awakening, struggle, growth, and renewal. Each stage deepens our relationship with God, drawing us into greater holiness and shaping our responses to life’s joys and trials. The catechism reminds us that this passage is not a straight path but a weaving in and out, as the soul learns, falters, and rises again with new depth and clarity. As the Church teaches, this journey is supported and guided by God’s word and wisdom:
- CCC 142–143: Faith is both a gift from God and a human response that develops. It begins with hearing God’s Word and grows through obedience and trust.
- CCC 162: “Faith is an entirely free gift that God makes to man… Yet it is not sufficient to have once received it. It must be nourished and it must grow.”
As we move through these seasons, God gently invites our hearts to awaken and respond.
- Where have you felt your restless heart stirred by God this September?
- What small awakenings are inviting you to notice His presence in your life?
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