By Sister Mary Scholastica, O.C.D.
Today is April 25th, the Feast of St. Mark. Are you reading this and thinking, “April 25th! How did that happen?!? The year just began!!”
The days often seem a blur. If we don’t “snap out of it” – whatever “it” is – it seems as if life will just continue to pass us by, ticking away minute by minute. It marches on, with or without us. It’s a feeling of not being able to catch up or even catch our breath. People, regardless of age, vocation or profession, are expressing these sentiments left and right. It’s also often how I find myself feeling.
What is the “it” we need to snap out of? There are so many external circumstances over which we have no control: the world and all its chaos and conflict, natural and man-made disasters, aging, our own insecurities and fears, the changing environment immediately around us, the struggles in our nation and in our Church that are staring us in the face every day, our own life circumstances, struggles with self, family, work that have such a myriad of unpredictable ups and downs. It’s enough to put anyone on edge.
But we are not meant to live on the edge. If this reflection were going in another direction, absolutely we are called to live on the edge (as Christians!) but in the context of this reflection, living on the edge every day is not a good thing. There’s an innate desire within each of us to be in a place of equilibrium, peace, harmony. Even the details of how we are wired, how God made us, our bodies, our brains, are constantly seeking safety, peace, unity, harmony.
You may think and feel that this state of peace is beyond your reach, it’s not. It’s closer than you can imagine. It’s within us. Those who live their lives from a place of deep surrender and trust in the Lord can’t help but exude peace and joy. They are peaceful, joyful people because they know the truth that God is God and that we are not. They know with conviction that our God is a loving, provident Father Who holds each of us in the palm of His hand. That He suffered and died and rose from the dead so that we might have life and have it to the full. That we are so deeply loved for who we are. He walks behind, beside and before us and often carries us close to His Heart.
This is our God. And He is faithful.
SO…if you, too, are feeling as if life is passing you by and are struggling to hold on, start little by little, prying your fingers off EVERYTHING and learn to let go. This loving Father of ours will catch you. Letting go is a lifelong lesson but practicing every day makes a difference to your inner peace. Every time you find yourself in a rut, struggling, engaging in maladaptive behaviors to cope with the nuances of life, putting your head in the sand to not get hit by the chaos swirling around you….pause. Take a deep breath and re-place yourself into your Father’s hands. This kind of abiding in Him, resting in His will, trusting that He is faithful, this kind of approach to life enables you to take what comes every day with eyes wide open, hearts ready to receive, ears ready to hear, minds desiring to learn and grow, wide-open hands. Open and welcoming hands, not closed and clutching hands. This life-stance brings into the daily fabric of your life, the peace that resides deep within our hearts, the peace that only God can give, the peace that then starts to permeate every aspect of your person and life. Only God.
