St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and Trusting in God

When we experience difficult trials and tribulations in our lives, especially when they seem to happen in quick succession and pile up, it can be hard to maintain our trust in God. It may even feel like He’s abandoned us or doesn’t care. However, when we look at the lives of the saints, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton being one example, we see that He is always close and will always provide for us. St. Elizabeth, whose feast we celebrated on January 4th, faced many hardships in her life, including financial struggles and the death of her husband and young daughter. However, she always maintained an unwavering trust in God and believed that He would always provide. She never let her circumstances discourage her or make her feel like God didn’t care. She always knew that He was by her side.

Our circumstances can often be frustrating and lead us to feel angry and wanting to know why things are happening. Earlier this month, I ended up in a situation that required emergency surgery and it was very unexpected and stressful. It made me question why things were happening this way and why God was doing this. Another thing that can be behind these ways of thinking is wanting our own comfort and an unwillingness to bear the crosses that God gives us. St. Elizabeth was always intent on doing the will of God and so she accepted the things that happened to her as His will for her and she humbly obeyed. When we start to feel upset or angry with God, we must ask for the grace of loving Him so much that we are willing to bear what is in front of us as well as any trials we face in the future. We can also ask St. Elizabeth for her intercession and help in trusting God and accepting His will.

Trusting in God and accepting His will is never easy when we can’t see the way or we don’t understand why things are happening a certain way. But we must remember that He loves us and only wants the best for us, even when we can’t always see it. Keeping in mind the example of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and many other saints who trusted in God despite difficult circumstances and praying for their intercession can help us grow stronger in our love for and trust in God and give us strength to triumph over our misfortunes.