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Philippians 4:6-9
Brothers and
sisters: Have no anxiety at
all, but in everything, by prayer and
petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests
known to God......Finally, brothers and sisters,whatever is true,
whatever is honorable, whatever is just,
whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,
whatever is gracious, if there is any
excellence and if there is
anything worthy of praise, think about these
things. Keep on doing what
you have learned and received and heard and seen
in me. Then the God of
peace will be with you.
I love the Letter to the Philippians. It's my favorite Pauline epistle closely tied with 1 & 2 Corinthians. Saint Paul has an amazing way of grabbing our attention. Sometimes I read his words and go "Huh? What is he talking about? I don't get!" Then I read them again and experience one of my "Ah ha" moments. I love when scriptures speak to me in an intimate way. Today's 2nd reading is one of those scriptural gems that I get excited about, especially when it's read at a Sunday liturgy: "Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God."
How often does anxiety cause us to make poor decisions? How often do we worry ourselves into a state of physical or emotional illness? How often do we allow our anxiety-induced bad attitudes to weaken relationships? How often do we allow fear to stop us from making permanent changes in our lives? The most important question of all: How often do we request help from God instead of trying to "fix" everything on our own?
God doesn't want us to be anxious; however, the Devil loves to play with our fragile minds and hearts! Anxiety is one of Satan's most effective diabolical tools. He tries to keep us in a perpetual state of worry and fret so we will choose to turn away from God. He can't make us step away from God's mercy and grace but he can darn well tempt us! In fact, sometimes we may blame God for all of our useless worries. We expect God to give us everything we want, when we want. We pray for our material needs more than our spiritual needs. It's easy to be anxious all of the time when we try to remain "in charge" of every nook and cranny, every hidden access point in our complicated lives. (Well, seems like we make our lives more complicated than they should be!)
It's time for us to flush our useless and debilitating anxieties down the toilet! Empty out the stench that floods our minds with endless worrying about everything going wrong. Sometimes we even worry about things going right. It's a vicious cycle of anxiety-worry-anxiety-worry that leaves us numb and exhausted. How can we spiritually connect to our Lord when we don't let go of our anxieties and allow God to take control?
There's nothing more serene, peaceful and comforting than praying to Our Lord for the strength to become worry-free. Lift up our anxieties to Him so that he can heal our hearts. So many times we try to do everything on our own which only causes more stress. When we petition the Lord in prayer, and thanksgiving, he is more than willing to help us. He loves us that much!!
One great way to relieve anxiety is to help someone else in need. It gets the mind off of our own problems and those "triggers" that cause us so much grief. Many times other people experience problems much worse. As Saint Paul writes, think about these things:
Whatever is true - It's amazing how much anxiety is lessened when the honest truth is revealed. Tell someone how much you love them.
Whatever is honorable - Honor and cherish someone you love and respect, maybe a priest, a parent or a child. Convert any nervous anxiety into a hardy hug and "Thank you!"
Whatever is just - Instead of staying throwing a pity-me party because everything is so bad and awful in your life, volunteer for a just cause. Work at a soup kitchen, donate clothes to a battered women's shelter, or help work with refugees.
Whatever is pure, lovely, and gracious - Regularly receive the Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Pray the rosary daily. Explore the beauty of nature and wildlife. Find ways to relax the mind in ways that will free anxiety.
God is always with us in the good and bad times. He never wants us to live worrisome and anxious lives. He provides us with so many spiritual tools to keep us bonded to Him. All we need to do is utilize these tools (prayer, meditation, frequent communion, confession, etc.) Let him take charge! Suddenly the anxiety goes away because we know we are not alone to suffer! God brings us peace through his unconditional love, mercy and infinite forgiveness.
-J.
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