Meditation in Eastertide ~ Friday, Week 4 '24: Struggle Transformed

April 26, 2024 ~ Friday, Week 4

 

The spiritual life is not the elimination of struggle; 
it is the sanctification of struggle.  
It is struggle transformed to wisdom.

          ~ Sr. Joan Chittister*             

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 Corinthians 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 now believe that as life happens, so do the ups and downs, joys and sorrows, the routine and ordinary. I know that it's up to me to turn to You, to sanctify the days of joy, the days of struggle, and the days of nothing special. In the midst of terrible times I won't feel immediately better as the Magic You of my childish imaginings would have it. Yet through Your presence in my soul, the older me is more readily able, and sooner, to move forward, accepting the things I cannot change and living each day as fully as possible for the time that I am given. Perhaps in my times of struggle ahead, and by remembering to turn to You before, during, and after, I will more easily transform those times into opportunities for some wisdom. As I continue to work on entering and growing into a more spiritual life, I already know that there is peace and rest in the midst of questions and conflict.  
   As I grow older, help me please, to be more child-like in my faith ~ that is, unspoiled, open, with an accepting innocence, and less child-ish ~ that is, immature, stubborn, and demanding to have things my way and angry when I cannot. Let me remember always, that the Magic of Life is contained within my acceptance, perseverance, and Faith by walking in, with, and through Your grace. amen.

 

*Sr. Joan Chittister [1936- ] 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 and hundreds of articles, Sr. Joan has received numerous awards for her writing. Sr. Joan is slated to be a keynote speaker at the Discipleship of Equals in October 2023 in Rome hosted by Spirit Unbounded, a new international network for Reform-Minded Catholics.

 

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