Wait and See

“Unfurl the sails and let God steer us where he will.” St. Bede the Venerable

I always have been inspired by this quote. I do not like to reduce life to simple phrases because it is not so simple. Recently, I was driving in the downtown core of my city, and a driver was being aggressive and honking at me. I still am not sure what I did wrong, but he was full of road rage. It was quite sad that we have reduced our driving to this.  After the incident, I was thinking about where the other driver needed to go in such a hurry. We leave it up to providence I guess, and let the rest go. A while ago, I attended a birthday party. I am not so into these things, but I was astounded at the number of people and how happy I was after I left. It was a good time. I left quite late and I do not usually walk around the center of my city at that late hour, but I knew I was safe. We cannot enter an event without some trepidation. Regardless, we need to stay ready for whatever comes our way. Yes, the examples are simple, but we can learn from anything that happens to us.

“We must be positive that the Divine Providence of God always watches over us, and arranges all circumstances for our benefit, even when they are unpleasant for us.” St. Leo the Great

I was reading about St. Denis. Yes, many legends surround the saints regarding what they might or might not have done. For me, there is beauty in these legends. St. Denis is thought to have been the first bishop of Paris. He was beheaded on Montmartre and it is said that he carried his head to the spot where St. Genevieve built a basilica over his tomb. God shines through any circumstance. Another saint, Jose Anchieta, was from a wealthy family in Tenerife, Spain. He went to study in Portugal and responded to a call to the priesthood. Tuberculosis caused a curvature of his spine and, eventually, he was sent to Brazil with hopes that the climate would sustain him. It did not. He is known as the Apostle to Brazil and is also known as the father of Brazilian literature. He was even held captive and used his free time to write a poem about the Blessed Virgin Mary. He wrote on sand because he had no paper. If it was someone today, they would be at a loss without their computer. The Brazilian city where he died was renamed after him.

‘What have you to do with yourselves? Leave it to Providence. However much afraid you are, Providence still has its eyes on you and is turning all things to your greatest good.’ St. Catherine of Siena

Keep your eyes in front of you. We need to pay attention and look at what is around us. Sometimes when I teach, I see a student buried in their work, oblivious to what is around them. I must remind them to pay attention to everything that is happening in the class. In a way, I think our Lord does the same with us. He keeps needling us, if that is the best word to describe it. These nudges, hints or even events, if you will, are constant reminders that being aware of the possibilities is so important. A priest told us once that sometimes God closes every door and we might feel blocked. We were told that this is the moment when he is trying to get our attention. We go through the motions of every day without even reflecting on what is happening. I do not want to be like that driver I wrote about with road rage. I do not want to simply rush through activities. Pope Leo XIV said. "We are called to live and cultivate friendship with the Lord" (through prayer). Are we even listening to the people who care about us? It is a question we need to ask ourselves.

“Do not be afraid to entrust yourself to God. He will provide.” St Cajetan