How do I achieve peace in the world? I can’t. I’m just a small being, but I can achieve peace in my heart. So I proceed. Sometimes we think all is lost, but it isn’t. If we believe in God, and believe in the Light, we will never be in darkness. My mother, who believed in God mightily, said, "the Blessed Mother will meet me, give me a big hug, and take me to Jesus." Don’t doubt that for a second.
This morning in the last daily Mass of the New Year, EWTN opened the Communion prayer with, " Lord, we pray, order our days in your peace." So how does God order our days? Have you ever noticed nature? You plant a seed and, 10 days later, 2 green sprouts emerge. In another 10 days, more green. Then we have to wait for buds. I check my flowers daily. "Yes! buds!" I danced around the bushes a week ago. Now we wait for the buds to make flowers and bloom. So God has ordered. It’s been that way for all time, unless someone upsets the sequence. If we dig them up and move them mid process we might kill them. God has ordered. Let him work. Many think of God like we might treat a Teddy Bear we sleep with. (Yes, Chuck and I have 3 Teddies on the bed!). We steal them from each other during the night. Often Teddy lands on the floor. This morning, Chuck said, "I had Teddy and then he was gone…" Tossed out in the middle of the night? No just buried deep in the covers where I shoved him in my sleep! I think sometimes we treat God like our sleeping toy. He’s grabbed and then he’s hidden often by us. He’s tossed out if we don’t agree with him. In the morning, we seek him, but often only to decorate our pillow. Grab God this New Year and hold on!!!!
Today, the end of an old year, let us pray for those who died this past year. We can deny Covid and say it’s not so bad. We can say, "The numbers are wrong," and we put ourselves at risk as some of my friends have done. I have a friend who had a big Christmas party and went to 3 others. "I’m not going to miss my family," she said. Another friend won’t wear masks no matter what. "I just don’t like a mask." Pray for those who have died and those who will die due to Covid. Don’t have a heart attack because there isn’t room in some ICUs. Let God order your life, but be obedient! Be thoughtful, kind. Make amends and do better. Take care of the earth, and praise God while you walk the earth! You are like that flower! God built you to be his instrument of shining peace. Thank God. Know God. Sing a new song! (read Psalm 96). God bless us. Angels with us. Happy New year!!!!!