Sr Lini Sheeja MSC –
“Any proposal for your son?” last month I asked a mother who was waiting for a proposal for her son for the last 10 years. “No sister, still things are the same! But one thing I learned in my life through this experience is to give it all to God. Gone are the days when I used to worry about the passing years. But, now I know God knows best and He will do it in His time”. I was surprised when I heard her speak this way, because I used to see her crying bitterly and worrying about her son’s future. I noticed that this mother had now become calm and dependent on God. This is what is called prayer. Reciting so many prayers for hours together is not going to change things, but surrendering to God does wonders. I always say to those who are worried, “give it to God and see the fruits; when you surrender to God you will receive more graces than you expect”.
Garden of Gethsemane: A Total Surrender
Prayer is not changing the heart and mind of God, but rather it is learning to surrender our will to the will of God who knows what is best for us. What happened at the garden of Gethsemane? Did Jesus try to change the heart and mind of his Father? Jesus was going through a battle between flesh and spirit. His struggle was so intense that He was “overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death” Mt 26:38. “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done” Lk 22:42. Yes, his total surrendering to the will of God took place at the Garden of Gethsemane. I admire the courage of Jesus who willed Himself to be arrested, tortured, mocked, whipped, humiliated and be crucified. The need for total surrender to God in all aspects of life is what we learn from Jesus.
Blessed Mother: A Total Surrender
What happened during the wedding at Cana? The transformation of water into wine took place when our Blessed Mother surrendered the problem of shortage of wine to her son Jesus. Mother Mary trusted in the power of her son Jesus to find a remedy for the piquant situation and then the miracle took place. His mother turned to the servants and said, “Do whatever He tells you” (Jn 2:5). What courage she displayed in telling this to the servants! She knew her Son would do it. A total surrender demands courage, the courage to trust in God. So, surrender your shortage, deficiency, failure and shortcomings to the Lord and you will receive everything bountifully and in overabundance. The same Mother accompanied Jesus on the way to Calvary with courage and trust knowing that her Son would not be a failure. She knew through these humiliations that her Son would make history. Today, among 7.95 billion world population, 2.56 billion are Christians. Yes, this is the history her beloved Son and our Lord Jesus has made.
Prophets and Saints: A Total Surrender
‘God will provide’ was the trust of Abraham. Abraham took his son Issac to sacrifice obeying the command of the Lord, but believing the Lord will provide. What courage did Abraham have? The Prophets and Saints surrendered themselves to the living Lord and were ready to do anything for the Lord who loved them. What courage did they possess? The Apostles underwent maximum amount of persecutions, humiliations, imprisonment and tortures. What gave them the courage to endure all these? Their complete surrender to the Lord! The Martyrs shed blood for the Lord who created them and loved them. They too did total surrendering of themselves! From where did they get that courage? From self-surrender to God!
Relax: God is in Control
My dear readers, this is what is called prayer. Are you sitting in churches and chapels worrying about something or another? Let us learn to tell our Lord who was not spared sufferings, ‘Lord! You know what is best. I surrender this situation to you.’ Do we have complete trust in the Lord or do we surrender half and hold back the other half. I read a message in WhatsApp recently on relaxation which moved me. The author put it beautifully, “You relax in an AEROPLANE though you do not know the PILOT. You relax on a SHIP though you do not know the CAPTAIN. You relax in the TRAIN without knowing the LOCOPILOT. You relax in the BUS not knowing the DRIVER. Why don’t you relax in your LIFE when you know that GOD holds its controls?
Is it too hard for the Lord?
In 1870, the French architect Charles Rohault de Fleury catalogued all known fragments of the true cross. He surmised that the cross of Jesus weighed 165 pounds, was three or four meters high, with a cross beam two meters wide. Jesus would have carried 165 pounds in weight! Is it hard for the same Lord to carry our burdens, heartaches on His shoulders? Let us place our whole self on God’s shoulders and move ahead in our lives. We have a God who knows us better than we know ourselves. He is the God who created us with a purpose.
What happened during the Multiplication of Bread?
What happened during the multiplication of bread? “Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people” Mt 14:19. Jesus surrendered the five loaves and the two fish to God and the multiplication took place. Our surrendering will never go in vain. Surrendering will always bring forth abundant fruits! “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” Mt 6:26-27. By worrying we are not adding a single day to our life, but rather we are adding Sugar, Blood pressure, Thyroid, Cholesterol and what not?
Amen: Our Mantra
The beggar who comes to the street every morning will teach us what total surrender is! He knows all his three meals will be provided; he knows he will receive some more clothes. He goes to bed peacefully without worrying about tomorrow. Are not beggars our teachers? We sit and cry, mourn, weep and worry just because we have still not surrendered ourselves completely to the Lord. Let us learn to say together with Jesus, our Blessed Mother and St Joseph, “Let Thy will be done” as many times as possible. Let our life-time mantra be, ‘Amen’.
Sr Lini Sheeja MSC, belongs to the Congregation of Missionary Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. She worked as the team member of Child-line, BOSCO Bangalore. She served as the Chief-Editor for Prison Voice, a national monthly magazine and her fourth book named, Prison Ministry: The Dreamers’ Mission invites the dreamers to join hands together to do wonders for the broken ones behind bars and broken humanity. Contact: [email protected], +91 9880022209
What a wonderful message