Praise be Jesus Christ now and forever! Praise be His Holy Name. You, God, are all-loving, all-powerful, all-merciful. You are, were, and always will be. You are constant in Your love and pursuit of Your people. You are constant in Your mercy and discipline. You are Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God!
We are sorry, God, for our forgetfulness of all You are and all You have done. We are sorry for the times we act and speak as if we are God. We are sorry for our sins of pride, envy, and greed. We are sorry for the times we have failed to do what You have called us to do. We are sorry for the times we have neglected to recognize the many blessings and failed to give thanks for the ones we have noticed.
Thank You, Lord, for Your mercy. Thank You for Your goodness. Thank You for Your relentless pursuit of our souls. Thank You, God, for Your provisions. Thank You for Holy Mother Church, the Blessed Mother, and our guardian angels. Thank You for the Sacraments and the Sacramentals. Thank You for sanctifying, sacramental, and actual grace.
As I sat and reflected on the many moments God has made Himself known to me, He reminded me of the many seasons of life and how each of those teach and guide His people. Because there was inclement weather this past week, my usual routines and appointments were canceled. It was so nice to be un-busy! It was also an opportunity for extra time of reflection. This time allowed me to sit in silence, unhurried, and listen for that still small voice in a way I had not been able to since the beginning of the school year.
When the school year began, I remember fumbling through the day challenged to set aside the quiet my soul longs to have in prayer. Today, in my unhurried prayer time, I found myself having to remember and consciously choose a very large part of my watch day – fasting. What a blessing I had completely overlooked! On my busy day, my fasting is chosen for me in a sense, or is at least easy to choose. What a reminder that our feelings can be deceitful and distracting.
I felt this season of life to be too busy, to be too loud, to be too much. The realization that this season of life is a gift, chosen by and designed by God, to advance me from a season of quiet reflection to a season of service and surrender. He reminded me that through my consecration to Jesus through Mary, I surrendered my life, my plans, my schedule, to Him. He is disciplining me to do His work under His direction in His way. My feelings of loss of the quiet unhurried time were deceptive and hiding the blessings of my surrender. The blessings of the busy season are so numerous. I have spent too much precious time focusing on my feelings instead of seeking those blessings out!
What is ironic is that He has repeatedly tried to prepare me for this season, but I am slow to learn and forgetful. Through a mentor, who repeatedly taught me about prayer and the seasons of prayer life, He told me during my quiet unhurried time that I would be teaching and training one day. He reminded me that the laborers are few, and He would call His people to work in His vineyard. God did not just throw me into this busy season; He trained and prepared me for it.
Now that I have been reminded of my surrender, I pray that I can remember to continue to call upon the graces and lessons He has given to accomplish His will, in His way, in His time. I pray you used the recent gift of an un-busy day to reflect on all that God has done and is doing in your season of life. Share what He teaches you, for others may just need to hear it!
