“Keep calm in the face of worries.” (Saint Josemaría).
I have always been a bit of a worrier.
The older I get the more I worry. What used to start as small little troubles soon because massive insurmountable hurdles in my path.
I am however, a very lucky human being because I have the sort of mother who was very good at managing this sort of stress anxiety and worry. And even when I was a very little girl, my mother would listen to my blathering on about one thing or another and then calmly reply – in Arabic as that is always how we said it in my family, “God will provide.”
Most Lebanese families or families with Lebanese origins will understand the significance of those sort of words because they are very commonly used in households who understand that really – in essence – we are nothing in and of ourselves.
Saint Josemaría said in “Furrow” at page 856, “If you fix your sight on God and thus know how to keep calm in the face of worries; if you can forget petty things, jealousies and envies, you will save a lot of energy, which you need if you are to work effectively in the service of men.”
Because at the end of the day I have come to realise that the role of my soul – the reason that I was born on this earth is to be a co-redeemer with Christ.
It is my job to suffer for sinners. It is my job to work for salvation – not just for myself and my family but for all the billions of souls who I have never met and will never meet.
Saint Josemaría said in “Furrow” at page 864, “The task for a Christian is to drown evil in an abundance of good. It is not a question of negative campaigns, or of being anti anything. On the contrary, we should live positively, full of optimism, with youthfulness, joy and peace. We should be understanding with everybody, with the followers of Christ and with those who abandon him, or do not know him at all. But understanding does not mean holding back, or remaining indifferent, but being active.”
And I have been thinking about how much I am holding back and taking care of myself. I have been thinking about how much I have been worrying about all the little things that really do not mean anything at all. And I have been reflecting on what more I can do to help my Beloved. For though I am nothing in and of myself, with His strength I can hold a tiny fragment of His Cross in my hand. And with His strength, I can wipe a tiny piece of His poor and broken Feet. And with His strength, I could work with Him to redeem the world. For though I am nothing, because He is everything, there is nothing to worry about, and much work yet to be done…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
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