Jun 15 Mon
How can I be serene amid difficulties?
We, too, are threatened by the wrong kind of sadness, which can arise from suffering, sickness, setbacks, and especially the weight of our own shortcomings.
The sense of being children of God gives us serenity.
The serenity that God gives us does not mean closing our eyes to reality. It means viewing it with optimism, trusting in the help of our Father in heaven.
Thus, we will never be stifled by the sadness that kills, which leads the imagination to wander aimlessly, mulling over memories, conjuring up fantasies, seeking after consolations, and perhaps even complaining inwardly about our work, our ascetical struggle, or our dedication.
The sadness that sometimes leads us to neglect one thing after another results in slowness and indolence. It will disappear when the Holy Spirit shows us once and for all that in everything God works for good with those who love him and who are called according to his purpose.
The Holy Spirit will teach us to put interior zeal into the things we do, without losing our peace of mind and without giving in to the temptation to despair, because “difficulties and setbacks disappear as soon as we go to God in prayer. Let us speak with Jesus humbly and frankly, confidently, and then light will appear, and with it, peace, serenity, and joy."
That is the first gift we hope for from the Holy Spirit: that our personal contribution to the task God asks of us may be joyful. This is the difference between us and those who do not know God; the latter complain and grumble in adversity, whereas for us, adversities do not lead us away from virtue but rather confirm us in it, as St Cyprian says.
Let us meditate on some very consoling words from St. Josemaría: “Everything may collapse and fail. Events may turn out contrary to what is expected, and great misfortune may come. But nothing is gained by being disconcerted.
Furthermore, remember the confident prayer of the prophet: ‘The Lord is my judge, the Lord gives me his laws, the Lord is my king; it is He who will save me.’ Say it devoutly every day, so that your behavior may align with the designs of Providence, which governs us for our own good."
Omnia in bonum! This certainly will encourage us to redouble our efforts, especially in the task of our sanctification, and the Holy Spirit will help us understand that pride is at the root of every inhibition. Behind an apparently motiveless reluctance to work, we discover human disappointment, the impossibility of asserting our own personality or criteria—in other words, vanity.
Likewise, when obedience becomes difficult, it is often not the difficulty of what is actually commanded, but the fact of having to yield and being nothing more than God's instrument. Lastly, behind pessimistic sorrow for our own faults, there may lie the humiliation we have suffered over them.
Once we have discovered all this, we will go straight to God to remedy the situation.