Scripture for meditation: Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8, 15
There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens. A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to uproot the plant; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to tear down and a time to build; a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance; a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them; a time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces; a time to seek and a time to lose; a time to keep and a time to cast away; a time to rend and a time to sew; a time to be silent and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. What now is, has already been; what is to be, already is; and God restores what would otherwise be displaced.
Christ tells us: Matthew 25:13
“The moral is: keep your eyes open, for you know not the day or the hour.”
St. Thomas a Kempis gives us a beautiful dialogue in The Imitation of Christ which will also serve as our prayer today: That All Our Cares Must Be Placed in God:
Christ: My child, permit Me to do with you what I will, for I know what is best for you. You think as a human being, and judge things according to human reason; but you are often swayed by your feelings and worldly attitudes, so that you can easily be deceived and make mistakes. Disciple: Lord, everything You say is true. Your providence is far better for me than any care I can take of myself Those who do not put all their trust in You run a great risk of falling. Therefore, Lord, if only my will remain firmly fixed in You, do with me as You please, for whatever You do with me can only be good. If it is Your will that I be in light, may You be blessed, Lord; but if it is Your will that I be in darkness, may You also be blessed. If, in Your mercy, You comfort me, be You blessed; but if it is Your will that I be afflicted, still be You always blessed. Christ: My child, this is how you must stand if you want to walk beside Me: you must be as ready to suffer as to rejoice, as willing to be needy and poor as to be rich and have abundance. Disciple: Lord, I willingly bear for You whatever You are pleased to give me. With indifference I will take from Your hand good and bad, bitter and sweet, joy and sorrow; and for all these things that may happen to me, I thank You with all my heart. Keep me from sin, Lord, and I will fear neither death nor hell. Do not blot my name out of the book of life, and then whatever trouble befalls me will not disturb me.
Christ: My child, permit Me to do with you what I will, for I know what is best for you. You think as a human being, and judge things according to human reason; but you are often swayed by your feelings and worldly attitudes, so that you can easily be deceived and make mistakes. Disciple: Lord, everything You say is true. Your providence is far better for me than any care I can take of myself Those who do not put all their trust in You run a great risk of falling. Therefore, Lord, if only my will remain firmly fixed in You, do with me as You please, for whatever You do with me can only be good. If it is Your will that I be in light, may You be blessed, Lord; but if it is Your will that I be in darkness, may You also be blessed. If, in Your mercy, You comfort me, be You blessed; but if it is Your will that I be afflicted, still be You always blessed. Christ: My child, this is how you must stand if you want to walk beside Me: you must be as ready to suffer as to rejoice, as willing to be needy and poor as to be rich and have abundance. Disciple: Lord, I willingly bear for You whatever You are pleased to give me. With indifference I will take from Your hand good and bad, bitter and sweet, joy and sorrow; and for all these things that may happen to me, I thank You with all my heart. Keep me from sin, Lord, and I will fear neither death nor hell. Do not blot my name out of the book of life, and then whatever trouble befalls me will not disturb me.
My thoughts:
Change is inevitable. We find ourselves facing a new job, a move that takes us from family and friends, the end of our careers to stay home and care for children or elderly parents, or a switch from the caregiver to the care receiver. Whatever it is, it brings a certain sense of loss. We are told in Ecclesiastes, however, that this is all part of God’s plan for us. Our lives are made of seasons, and just as we cannot hold onto autumn and spring, we cannot hold onto the times that give us comfort and security. Winter comes and we must get through it, but Spring is always a promise. Summer can get unbearable, but autumn returns to cool our fevered brows and fill our lives with beauty. Remember Jesus’ words, that we do not know the day or the hour for anything from God, and live with one foot planted firmly in on the ground, to responsibly do God’s work, and one foot in the air, to leap when He calls. There is a time to every purpose under heaven, and in our lives. As St. Thomas a Kempis reminds us, only God knows what is best for us.
Your prayer to God:
Today we face many changes in our lives, some small and some great. Let us go before our Lord and hand him the greatest fears we have about these changes. Let us ask Him to make us wise and brave, so that in all these new stages of our lives, we can be free from anxiety and filled with His power and grace. Mary, our Mother, protect us from all fear, sadness, and anxiety as we face your Son’s will for our lives. Give us the grace to say as you did, “Let it be done unto me according to Your will.” Amen.
Today we face many changes in our lives, some small and some great. Let us go before our Lord and hand him the greatest fears we have about these changes. Let us ask Him to make us wise and brave, so that in all these new stages of our lives, we can be free from anxiety and filled with His power and grace. Mary, our Mother, protect us from all fear, sadness, and anxiety as we face your Son’s will for our lives. Give us the grace to say as you did, “Let it be done unto me according to Your will.” Amen.
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