seems to be "*YOU* are not the one in control." I've seen hints of it in many blogposts around the 'Net (particularly from Moms who really want to do a lot of wonderful spiritual things with their families during Lent). For me, it is perfectly illustrated by the twin winter storms that prevented us from going out to services and our usual devotions on Ash Wednesday and now today on Good Friday.This seems perfectly related to the virtue of Patience, which is the theme of the Fourth Sorrowful Mystery in a little book of quotes I have by St. Francis de Sales (the book is called: Sermon in a Sentence: A Treasury of Quotations on the Spiritual Life, Volume 2, published by Ignatius Press).
Here are a few quotes from this section:
The soul that rises from sin to devotion has been compared to the dawning day, which at its approach does not drive out the darkness instantaneously but only little by little.
The greatest happiness of any one is "to possess his soul," and the more perfect our patience, the more fully we so possess our souls.
If we must have patience with others, so we must with ourselves. Those who aspire to the pure love of God have not so much need of patience with others as with themselves.
The acts of daily forbearance, the headache, or toothache, or heavy cold; the tiresome peculiarities of husband or wife, the broken glass... all of these sufferings, small as they are, if accepted lovingly, are most pleasing to God's Goodness.
4 comments:
I hear ya! My youngest came down with a fever today just as I was thinking the rest of us were finally over this cold! We have been trapped in the house by illness instead of snow. Thanks for the reminders!
A perfect reminder, as we were snow-bound today and missed Good Friday service too.
Amen to that! I so want to be able to get to Triduum services and we just can't. I've been trying to pray here at home but there are so many distractions. It's definitely all about God being in control, not me.
Thanks for the quotes.
Thanks for a beautiful post, Alicia.
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