Prayers in Easter: Peeking out from the cocoon

The spiritual life is not the elimination of struggle; 

it is the sanctification of struggle.  It is struggle transformed to wisdom.

           ~ Sr. Joan Chittister* [1936]



When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things.  1 Cor 13:11


Dear God,
       When I was a kid I thought You were The Most Magic Person. You created the heavens and the earth and all that is in it, Adam and Eve and me!  As I grow older I wonder more about You and discover that the more I learn, the less I know although I now believe some things very differently. I don't think that You are a god of the chessboard who moves me around willy-nilly in order to satisfy some divine whim, or causing this and/or saving me from that event or encounter. Nor do I believe that You give me or take away people and things from me. 
      I now believe that, as life happens, it's up to me to turn to You, the Holy Trinity, to sanctify my struggles. In the midst of terrible times I won't feel immediately better as the Magic You of my childish imaginings would have it. But it does help the older me to be more readily able - eventually - to move toward accepting the things I cannot change and live as fully as possible into the life I have. Perhaps in that way I will find that my struggle in life can transform into a little bit of wisdom.   
    As I grow older, help me please, to be more childlike in my faith - that is, unspoiled, open, with an accepting innocence, and less childish - that is, immature, demanding, and stubborn to have things my way.  Let me remember always that the Magic of life is in my acceptance, perseverance, and Faith. amen.


*Sr. Joan Chittister is a member of the Benedictine Sisters in Erie, Pennsylvania.  A noted author and lecturer, she is regular columnist with the National Catholic Reporter, and also contributes to other publications on-line and in print. She writes on the issues of women in the church and society, human rights, peace, and justice in the areas of war and poverty, religious life, and spirituality. She is co-chair of the Global Peace Initiative of Women, a UN-sponsored organization creating a worldwide network of women peacemakers.  The author of more than 50 books, hundreds of articles, Sr. Joan has received numerous awards for her writing.
  
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