"Father, Into Thy Hands I Commend My Spirit" Luke 23:46

Jesus entrusts His life to His Father, crowning a life of obedience with His sacrifice of supreme love for mankind. The Cross is death…it is letting go. It is surrendering everything into God’s hands…illness, failures, disappointments, contradictions, etc. God cannot be hurried. He has His own time schedule. I need only to be willing to wait. This requires silence, stillness and a willingness to be still until God moves my heart, stirs up my will and enlightens my mind. God asks blind faith and trust of me. Patience enables us to appreciate God's action - whatever is the outcome - we trust that God will bring good out of it. Fr. Frederick Faber wrote: ”It is hard at all times to persuade ourselves that there is no spiritual advantage to be compared to the giving up of our own will.” The acceptance and surrender to God’s Will is the holiest action we can take on our spiritual journey.

Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen once stated: “Peace will come only when the hearts of the world have changed.” Prayer is the glue that fastens hope and peace in the midst of chaos. Criticism and negativity are ingredients in a recipe that guarantees resentment and unhappiness. Obedience sets us free to be true to ourselves and authentic witnesses of a gentle and loving God. Our world beset by violence, sexual promiscuity, the disintegration of family values, the destruction of the family unit and the evil of abortion are all signs of the downfall of every civilization in recorded history. Conversion is the invitation of Jesus to imitate His self-immolation. Julian of Norwich wrote: “Mercy and forgiveness are the path that always leads us to grace.” We are challenged by Jesus, our loving and compassionate Savior, to be powerless and to experience His power in our weakness. May we pray for the grace to have ears open to  obedience and a heart to do God’s will.