By Sister Mary Scholastica, O.C.D.
Surrender. This word in today’s world may not have positive connotations connected to it. It speaks of giving up, losing to another, being defeated.
However, in reflecting upon the peace of mind, body, heart and soul that we are striving for, surrender is a crucial word that needs not only to be understood, but deeply accepted in the core of one’s being and embedded into one’s way of life.
The only way to experience the peace we were made for is to surrender to Jesus in each moment of every day, in every way possible. How often do we consciously and unconsciously seek to take control of situations, worry about the future, try to change our circumstances, and desire something else for our lives? It’s not to say that we should stop engaging in the hard work and wishfully think we can become saints without the effort. We must do our best AND surrender it all to God. It’s surrendering the process and the results – be it positive or negative.
Giving it all to Jesus, Who walks before and beside us, is the only way we will tap into the deeper places within our hearts. This is how we will experience the peace our souls are longing for.
This sounds beautiful and amazing, doesn’t it? It is. AND it is a daily challenge to constantly, consistently, perseveringly live in the space of surrendering all aspects of yourself and your circumstances to the Lord. The key is to always rise up after a fall and to place yourself back into His hands. As St. Augustine says, “A saint is a sinner who never ceases to struggle.”
Our Blessed Mother is THE model of true surrender and perseverance. With her mother’s heart, she sees us, her children. She sees our struggle; she rejoices with us in our blessings, and she accompanies us as we strive to stay on the straight and narrow path that leads to her Son. Her surrender, her daily YES to the Lord, seeped into the deepest fiber of her being. Her entire person, her thoughts, words, actions, movements of the heart, only knew how to surrender to the Lord and by her YES, she became the mother of our Lord and Savior and mother to us all. Her YES reverberates throughout all of history and impacts us to this day.
Surrender your hearts, your whole person to the Lord and see what wonders the Lord will work in your life. God is faithful in His promises. Trust in this.
