Greetings dear family of our beloved Saviour Jesus Christ; may God grant to us all an abundance of that supernatural peace, that peace which passes all understanding. Amen
The little Sparrow was a wise bird. This poem reminds me of Christ’s words: “look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life?”(Mat 6:26&27)
Human beings are very different though from birds: we have been given the gift of a great intellect, but with this gift, we cause ourselves worry and anxiety, but Jesus asks that we not become anxious – especially over worldly things. He assures us of the Father’s love, telling us: “Are not two Sparrows sold for a penny and not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father’s will. But even the hairs on your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many Sparrows.” (Matt 10:29-31) Can you imagine this? – Jesus does not lie; our Father knows when a Sparrow falls to the ground, and He knows the number of hairs on our head! I find this mind blowing!!! Our Father knows all that we have to suffer, and He knows how to help us. Jesus tells us: “My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.” (John 14:27)
Jesus promises to give us His supernatural peace. The difference between the peace of Christ and that of the world, is that the former does not depend upon the circumstances around us to be received, whereas the latter always does. To obtain a worldly peace we must pursue it and work hard to find it, but to obtain the peace of Christ we simply have to surrender ourselves into God’s hands, allowing Him to take care of us in every situation.
In His letter to the Philippians, St Paul tells us: “I have learned, in whatever state I am, to be content.” (Phil 4:11) Where did St Paul find his peace of mind? He tells us: “I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound; in any and all circumstances I have learnt THE SECRET of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and want.” (Phil. 4:12) What was St Paul’s secret? Look at what he says next: “I can do all things in Him who strengthens me.” (Phil. 4:13) Yes, St Paul handed it over to God and relied upon God’s power to give him the strength he needed.
St. Paul knew the greatest suffering and came under many trials: Read (2 Cor.11:23-29) But St Paul tells us: “If God is for us, who is against us?” (Rom 8:31) We are the children of our Heavenly Father, and no one will ever be able to take that away from us. Again St Paul tells us:
“For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, not things present, not things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 8:38 & 39)
God will draw near when we call upon Him; when the trial gets too great we must place it into His hands and expect Him to act. And to enter fully into God’s will, we should offer up our trials and sufferings to Him, with love, for His intentions, uniting them with Christ’s Passion because it is in this participation of the will that we draw down the greatest grace to help us triumph.
I have a little system that I use when I get anxious or worried over something. I call it my spiritual S.O.A.P. for washing away my fears: (S) I Surrender the situation to God; I stop fighting it alone and enter into His power. (O) I Offer the suffering to Him for His intentions with love and put away any resentment by discerning within it His will. (A) I Adore Him: I enter into praise and thanksgiving. I thank Him for every blessing ever given me. (It is hard for fear to get a hold of the mind when you enter into union with God, deep in prayer, prayer from the heart, offering every fibre of your being to God with love.) (P) I persevere in Prayer until the fear subsides, keeping my soul united to God through transports of love.
So we must have confidence in Jesus under all circumstances and do all that we can to unite ourselves to Him with greater bonds of faith, hope and love, remembering that we too can say, like the Sparrow, “We have a Heavenly Father who cares for you and me.”
