Sunday, October 8, 2017

Surpassing Peace



 " Brothers and sisters: Have no anxiety at all, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the Peace that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me. Then the God of Peace will be with you." --[Philippians 4: 6-9].


My mother was an inveterate worrier. She was also quite possibly the most negative person I have ever met. She also did not believe in "that God stuff" and she never prayed.

Our entire family spent hours each day trying to reassure her about everyday things. I tried as hard as I could to love her and to make her burden easier. As a young girl, I helped bring in the groceries from the car and put them away. I volunteered to weed her flower garden. I did all the mending and sewing for the family. I helped her with the dinner dishes, drying and putting away. I was trying to bring Peace into the family, but as a child, I did not know that this was simply Earthly Peace. Still, it was as good a place as any to begin.

It could be paralyzing for my mother to get through 24 hours. She worried if it might rain. She worried if it would not rain.

She used to ask me to tell her what was wrong, so she could worry.

It came as a huge revelation to me, when I read Matthew 6: 27, 34:  "Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries.  Today has enough trouble of its own. . . Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"

Worry seems to be contagious. Stick around enough worriers, and soon enough you might be joining in on the hand-wringing.

I was my maternal grandmother who taught me to pray The Our Father. It was such a simple prayer, only the beginning of a Christian education, but it was a start.

My mother used to tell me that Christians were pathetic, with all their praying. She believed that prayer was for those who were unable to DO; for the unintelligent, the poor, the lame, the weak. They did all they COULD do by praying, because they were pitiably incapable of rescuing themselves.

I am learning that I am vulnerable to worry myself. It is hard not to "go there" when all I heard in my family was the "Woe is me".  The instant I begin to worry, I try to stop myself. Either there is something I can DO to resolve the problem. OR, I will pray for guidance or help.

In fact, we Christians are called to both PRAY and DO. St. Paul says in Ephesians 4: 9: "Whatever you learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me -- put it into practice. And the God of Peace will be with you."

We believe that "If you want Peace, work for Justice". --[Pope Paul VI].  We believe in the Power of Love-- which is NOT a feeling or an emotional swoon or a dramatically romantic evening. No, Love is bringing food and clothing and shelter and education and healing to the "least of these." Because whatever you do to the least of Jesus' brothers, you do to Him. --[Matthew 25: 40].

We believe that "He who oppresses the poor taunts his Maker but he who is gracious to the needy honors Him." --[Proverbs 14: 31.]

I am learning that I am vulnerable to that constant negative self-talk that can derail the most optimistic person. Yes, there is a tremendous amount of trauma and hate in this world. We cannot solve the world's problems without at first defining them. It would in fact be foolish to believe that "Everything is for the best, in this best of all possible worlds." --[ "Candide", by Voltaire].

But at the same time, we reinforce the negative neural pathways in our brain, by constantly repeating to ourselves how awful our world is. If we believe that our world is rotten to the core, irredeemably violent, evil and hateful, then we give up on ourselves and on each other.  Ultimately, we are giving up on the Divine Goodness that is God.

What we tell ourselves becomes what we believe, becomes what we do. If we believe that prayer to God and loving others both have the capacity to make our world a better place, then that is what we will accomplish.

And so, we reach for the Heavens, holding in our minds, "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy --",  and it is there where we find our best selves, because is is there where we find God.

(c) Spiritual Devotional 2017. All Rights Reserved.




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