For Best Results, Surrender!
One
Our times are stressful. There is a weariness to our anxiety. If we are listening to social media, I can guarantee this weariness and anxiety will continue and even increase! If you are feeling weary and overly anxious, then listen carefully to what I am about to tell you. This experience has been felt before by many men and women of God through salvation history and has been predicted for us who live in these times. God allows suffering for one reason: to purify us so that we attach ourselves to Him and Him alone and not to anything of this world! In this way, we will not be so easily shaken or moved by events that seem to allow the wicked to prevail. To strengthen us in such times, the Lord sends us many words of insight and encouragement. In mentioning terrible signs and predicaments that can plague us, Jesus says, “Now when these things begin to take place, look up and raise your heads because your redemption is drawing near.” (Lk 21:28.)
Two
Jesus’ words are always fresh and timeless because there is always suffering and distress for His people. “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. (Jn 15:18.) Since we have been chosen out of the world but are still in the world, we need to live a simple way of life that reflects our divine election and ignore the noise of the world. This simple way of life means to live four things: prayer, especially the rosary; formation or instruction in the faith because the truth sets us free; community which we form with families and friends in our homes; and a mission to bring others to Jesus which we do with Mary by invitation, hospitality and friendship. Regardless of what’s happening in the world, this way of life is our stable ground upon which the Lord wishes to build his Kingdom. We are hated when we believe that feelings and experiences should conform to God’s word, and not the other way around. We are hated when we refuse to bend on issues of moral or spiritual truths, especially those that deal with human life and sexuality. The last two verses of Psalm 5 gives encouragement and confidence in this battle, “Let all who take refuge in God rejoice, let them ever sing for joy; and do thou, O Lord, defend them, that those who love your name may exult in thee. For thou dost bless the righteous, O Lord; thou dost cover him with favor as with a shield.” (Psalm 5: 11-12.)
Three
Our goal hasn’t changed: we stay together in our Movement of the Holy Family, we continue to pray the rosary and receive the sacraments and lead others to Jesus through Mary, and this should be our focus. I know that this is hard to do, and the Lord knows this as well. For this reason, He gave these wonderful words of wisdom to Servant of God Fr. Dolindo Ruotolo, “And when I must lead you on a path different from the one you see, I will prepare you; I will carry you in My arms; I will let you find yourself, like children who have fallen asleep in their mothers’ arms, on the other bank of the river. What troubles you and hurts you immensely are your reason, your thoughts and worries, and your desire at all costs to deal with what afflicts you.” Let us ask ourselves this question, how often do I lose my peace or worse, become overcome with anxiety, when I listen to media outlets that offer the voice of the world instead of the voice of God?
Four
Jesus continues with Fr. Dolindo, “You are sleepless; you want to judge everything, direct everything and see to everything and you surrender to human strength, or worse—to men themselves, trusting in their intervention; this is what hinders My words and My views. Oh how much I wish from you this surrender, to help you; and how I suffer when I see you so agitated! Satan tries to do exactly this: to agitate you and to remove you from My protection and to throw you into the jaws of human initiative. So, trust only in Me, rest in Me, surrender to Me in everything.” To perfect this surrender, we must take on the means our Savior gave us at this time: complete entrustment to Our Lady, and to faithfully pray her rosary and share it with others.
Five
It is hard for us to surrender to Jesus because we don’t see His activity the same way we do our own efforts where the results are immediate…unless our eyes and hearts are tuned to Christ. So how do we tune in to Christ? Consider the following:
Earlier I quoted the 15th chapter of John’s Gospel taken from Jesus’ last supper discourse. He gives this dialogue right before His passion begins. At first glance, this seems to be the worst-case scenario: Jesus who is all good is defeated and destroyed by the forces of evil. With God, however, there is never a worst-case scenario; or, better, the worst-case scenario is easily changed into the best-case scenario, for Jesus rises not 38 hours later and saves the world from sin. This is what He does and why we can surrender to Him, even when things seem to be unfolding in the worst way. Several years ago, I was doing research for my dissertation in Paris, France. My first day in the French National Archives was unfolding as the worst-case scenario: I didn’t speak the language well enough nor know how the archives were organized keenly enough to figure out what I was doing. I asked for help from the French researchers who were there, but no one seemed able or interested. “So here’s where it ends,” I said to myself. “All of the work I’ve put into this doctorate ends here!” I was defeated and deflated. My mind had jumped to the worst conclusions. Why would God abandon me at this moment, having opened so many doors for me and after so many long hours of hard work at the university to just end so unceremoniously. How weak was my faith. How un-attuned I was to how Jesus helps. For sitting right there in the French archives at that exact same moment was a professor from Ohio State who was friends with one of my professors and who offered to come to KU and help me learn how to navigate the European archive system prior to my leaving. The meeting got canceled for various reasons. By a freak (providential) coincidence of circumstance, the OSU professor was there, the clerk behind the welcome desk somehow knew it, took interest in me while I was trying to walk out dejected, and connected us right at the last minute. This professor helped me, introduced me to one of her students who was there and would be there for the next two weeks should I need further help, and all worked out. Therefore we should never fear, especially when we think we’re involved in worst-case scenarios, because Jesus works to the good all things for those who love Him! So, my friends, for best results, surrender!