Grant Us Thy Peace
There are days and then there are days. Have you ever felt like there was so much to say and do, and not enough time, concentration, or energy to accomplish half of your expectations?
Lately, during my daily chores, blog ideas, article notes, and lessons pop into my head and I rarely write them down. I need a tape recorder for what’s in my head.
But it is what comes from outside through the media, that so needlessly disturbs my peace.
Outside my world, politically things are a mess and spiritually our society is lacking. The news is saturating with mundane information, rarely affecting us personally, but emotionally charging us all the same. We pause to ask, who is our neighbor? Who should we care about? Where are the boundaries of responsibility?
The Catechism of the Catholic Church shows us who are neighbor is:
2212 The fourth commandment illuminates other relationships in society. In our brothers and sisters we see the children of our parents; in our cousins, the descendants of our ancestors; in our fellow citizens, the children of our country; in the baptized, the children of our mother the Church; in every human person, a son or daughter of the One who wants to be called “our Father.” In this way our relationships with our neighbors are recognized as personal in character. The neighbor is not a “unit” in the human collective; he is “someone” who by his known origins deserves particular attention and respect.
Does this mean that some family in a far away state is our neighbor? I guess so.
Should we care about them and their recent tragedy? Yes, we can pray for them and offer their pain up to God.
Should we lose sleep over it? No. Should we send money? Only if we have it to give?
Is there a time when we should just keep it local? I think so. Our society is so wrapped up with media info that I think we are losing sight of what is immediately around us.
Do you take time for meditation and discussion with our Lord? I’m working on it.
Quiet time during the daily activities is a rarity for most, but in these crazy times in our country and world, it is most needed. God will help us know what to care about and what to leave to Him and others. God will help us find the peace that we need and with that, the patience follows.
Everyone needs more peace within and patience towards self and others. Sometimes it is almost easier to get wrapped up in the problems of some distant neighbor we will never meet and cannot effect, instead of offering friendship, peace, and patience to the neighbor who is right at hand.
