It seems that while the citizenry are protesting without looting, rioting, or starting fires, they are gassed in Oakland California, and shot with rubber bullets. I will take no political stand here beyond pointing out two things: there is a Constitutional Right to peaceful assembly; and in Europe the protests have been violent from the beginning. Ours have not.
I read an article this morning about the New Roman Missal and I have to be honest, I am very tired of hearing about it. Until something changes, like the laity, Rome has the right to impose anything on us that they please. Does that make it right? Not always. Is it up to us to change it? Again, not always. Here is a simple truth — find the good in everything.
People are busy looking for the bad in books, other people, denomination, nations, protestors, Muslims, Hindus, fill-in-the-blank, etc., that it leaves me astonished that so few people follow the simple rule of finding the good in everything. We are told to find Christ in all people, for whether or not they know he is there, he is there! It is the same in all those things I listed. Another point comes to mind: if you can’t say anything good, then say nothing at all.
As a hermit it is my joy to pray for the entire world, read the entire Universe, and to do that I must look for the good in all things and not the negative or bad, otherwise my prayers would be calling down vengeance on those who don’t do what I think they ought to do. Too many of our problems stem from being angry at people for not doing what we think they ought to do!
How do we stop this? Pray! How many times will I write that word? I will never stop saying every problem and issue and disaster and tragedy and joy and sorrow and all other things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible — the answer is toe PRAY!
Keep all this in mind the next time you are angry at someone for not doing what you think they ought to do. We go around thinking that we are the determiners of all things, we are not. God is. Think of this, when Moses asked God what is your name? God answered, “I am who I am.” It can also be translated “I will be who I will be.”
You, me, all living things, are not God. Hear O Israel, the Lord your God is one! The Lord is one.
DAY EIGHT
O gracious Saint Jude, apostle of my Lord, pray that I may always be open to God’s love and live according to His holy will. May I never fail to cooperate with the grace of God, especially when I am in such great need. St. Jude, please intercede with great intensity on my behalf for these intentions…
(State your intentions)
May I forever be deeply and truly thankful to God for the blessings I have received in the past. Help me to understand that I am totally dependent on God and His love and mercy. When I feel alone, as you surely did when you suffered a martyr’s death, pray that I will take it as an opportunity to rely on God’s grace and love.
Amen.
St. Jude, pray for me!
