We Might Often Feel Weary

“We must often feel weary and tired, yet God brings us through all these things.” Saint Mary MacKillop

Sometimes, I send out a meme which compares God’s plan and our plan. His plan is full of twists and turns while ours seems to be straight as an arrow. We like to fool ourselves maybe. Recently, I was speaking to my friends in the Carmelite Cloister, and they shared an article about three Austrian nuns who were sent to live in a care home because they had become elderly. With the help of a former student and a locksmith, they returned to their abbey to live out their religious life. It struck me because, at their advanced age, they wanted to continue to serve the Lord in the way they knew. I used to visit an older priest in a care home some time ago before he died. When family members came with me, he, in all his infirmity, still suggested a call to religious life for anyone who came to see him. We cannot feel weary. We only need to ‘be’ in front of God.

“Do not fear what may happen tomorrow. The same loving Father who cares for you today will care for you tomorrow and every day. Either He will shield you from suffering, or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace, then, and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginings.” Saint Francis de Sales

Saints must have always struggled. No one is born a saint. I would suggest that a person grows in a saintly life. Bl. Sebastian Valfrè was priest in the 1600s. He lived a rather uneventful life, but he continued to serve. He was riddled with doubt, fear and anxiety. We would probably refer to this as some sort of disorder today, but we do not know the full circumstances surrounding this priest. We only know that he stayed faithful to God’s plan. Hildegard of Bingen was a Benedictine nun. Her life was not without controversy, and her convent suffered an interdict for some of the things it did. She continued to serve, and possibly in fear. But her faith was much stronger. Her music lives on, and she is not forgotten. Similarly, Francis Lieberman converted to Catholicism from Judaism, after his siblings entered the Church, upon his arrival in Paris. His father was broken-hearted, and Francis felt extreme loneliness. Before he was to be ordained, he suffered an epileptic attack. Eventually, he joined the Spiritans and is considered as another founder of the order. He is on the road to sainthood. We do not know God’s plan until it is revealed to us.

“Do not have any anxiety about the future. Leave everything in God’s hands for He will take care of you.” Saint John the Baptist de La Salle

Sometimes, we may get weary or confused, I am blessed to be surrounded by people who care about me. I am not alone. A nice piece of advice I received recently was to simply be in the presence of God. He has a plan and when it is revealed, it will be amazing. How can we know this? I would say that we can only know it by its fruit.  There is a joy in God’s plan, but it is no fun waiting. That is something which is clear to me. However, patient trust in God can always bring us closer to Him. God moves when He is ready, and it is not something we can decide. We can pray.

“Hold your eyes on God and leave the doing to Him. That is all the doing you have to worry about.” Saint Jeanne de Chantal