Leave It to God!

 “He will provide the way and the means, such as you could never have imagined. Leave it all to Him, let go of yourself, lose yourself on the Cross, and you will find yourself entirely.”  Catherine of Siena.

I recently had a conversation with a dear friend who reminded me of God’s power and how much a role He plays in our lives. I was frustrated by several events in my own life that seemed to take a toll on me because they were taking so long to resolve. This dear friend reminded me again that we might pray in our time, but the Lord answers in His. God’s time is not our time. Waiting really is the hardest part. Catherine of Siena was so young, yet she had so much influence in the Church. She was amazing.

“…. Never let go; hold steadfastly to God, in peace, trusting His everlasting love for you.” St. Francis de Sales

I think often of the saints and how much they had to wait. St. Monica prayed ceaselessly for her husband and her son, St. Augustine. Eventually, she enjoyed the fruits of those prayers, and she watched her son enter the Church. What suffering she must have gone through. Bl. Frederic Ozanam studied law and married. He wrote about the benefits of Christianity to individuals and society. His work eventually led to the establishment of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Many people around us might not see the benefits of the work of others or even our own because of the society we live in, but we need to hold firm in our faith. We cannot do good things for recognition. Another curious saint I had recently read about was St. Anthony Galvao who was the first native-born Brazilian to be declared a saint. The Franciscans and Conceptionists both vied for his services. Eventually he was allowed to care for the nuns, and he was allowed to continue his work. In all his struggles, he was a man of prayer, and many people often came to him for spiritual support. It was his trust in the Blessed Virgin Mary that continued to sustain him, and he was vocal about the Immaculate Conception even before it was declared a dogma. There are so many saints we can look at to continue our journey. But we must stand firm.

“Let go of your plans. The first hour of your morning belongs to God.” St. Edith Stein

How often do we write down our agenda of the day? We have so much to do, according to our minds. Our smart phones must be laden with appointments. I want to make my life for Christ. I want to allow Him to lead my day. Recently, there were changes at work. People were looking at each other and wondering if their jobs were safe. The chatter was endless. It is best to sit quiet and not do anything. Then we can allow God to speak to us. Sometimes, there is a dryness when I attend mass and then I look around me and watch the faith of the people present, I am reminded of how Christ really does play a role in our lives. We might not even know it. That faith needs to continue to spring forth. It must be contagious, and the Carmelite nuns remind me that it is a perfume. Others around us will smell the fragrance of Christ. We can only wait for the Lord. He acts in His own time.

I am a little pencil in God's hands. He does the thinking. He does the writing. He does everything and sometimes it is really hard because it is a broken pencil and He has to sharpen it a little more. Mother Teresa. 

Unfurl the sails, and let God steer us where He will.” St. Bede the Venerable