Originally published Jan. 20, 2021

With all that is happening in the world today, I hope peace can abound in our hearts and lives. It is so easy to allow the darkness, violence, division and tension in our world to swallow us up.
This is NOT God's desire for us! He wants us to turn to Him and listen to His voice of truth, affirmation, comfort and peace. Turn away from and cast out the voice of fear, anxiety and hopelessness.
Pray, Hope and Don't Worry...the famous mantra of St. Pio of Pietrelcina, gives guidance on how we should live.
Breathe in and pray.
Breathe out and hope.
Repeat and have no worries.
There is actually more to this quote than the first five words. "Pray, hope, and don't worry. WORRY IS USELESS. GOD IS MERCIFUL AND WILL HEAR YOUR PRAYER." As hard as it is to not worry about the things we would like to control, Padre Pio's advice really is true. He lived his life in true surrender, living and believing exactly what he preached. I'm sure it was not easy as he truly suffered a lot in his life and had plenty he could have worried about.
My sufferings are different that what Padre Pio went through, but I like to think that when we really get to the root of it, there are more similarities than differences. Ultimately, life is good and we occasionally have mountaintop experiences and can see God's plan clearly and feel his deep love for us. These moments give us hope. We walk forward in faith even though we have no idea what is coming next. Sometimes, nothing comes...life is just boring and mindless with meal prep, schoolwork, laundry and unending chores to keep the house running. Soon enough, things change and obscurity, indecision and clouds come our way. It could be in the form of the declining health of a parent, or concern over a grown child who is struggling in their faith, or any myriad of other issues that make us question things and even feel like failures. This is where Padre Pio's advice can save us from the pit of self-loathing, self-criticism and despair. Learning to put all things in the hands of God, at the foot of the cross, and in the arms of our Blessed Mother...and leave them there...takes sustained practice and complete trust.
May God be with us in the coming days, weeks, months and years as we grow in holiness...praying, hoping and abandoning worry any time it strikes!
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