DEACON TOM ANTHONY

Wednesday, January 9, 2013


The world is filled with so much clutter. I like to call it static. I was confronted with a pretty difficult situation last night that really diverted me from everything that I was planning on doing. I had to set everything aside and concentrate on this situation that really did not have any solution. It just brought forward a great amount of stress and aggravation; just enough to divert me from what was truly important. I dwelt on it for over four hours until I finally went to bed and awoke five hours later to go to work exhausted. And still it plagued me. I was not released from its grasp until I was able to enter the Sacred Silence in front of the Blessed Sacrament and received help from Jesus. 

We as human beings tend to do this more than we consciously realize. We react to situations and obstacles in a negative manner which then clouds our judgement and perception. These challenges then become central  to us until they can be overcome; only to replaced by the next road block. Suddenly, we find ourselves engulfed in self created crises which become perpetual in nature. All the while, the one thing that can truly save us from these situations is ignored repeatedly even though it is the obvious solution: Jesus Christ.

Yes, it is that simple. Jesus said in Matthew that "You cannot serve both God and Mammon." Mammon is more than money or material things. It can bee seen as all worldly allures.This includes situations which will ultimately cloud our relationship with Christ and divert us from our relationship with him. When we make ourselves upset by our own thoughts or actions it means that we are pursuing something other than our spirituality. We are focusing on a desire that creates a disruption to our serenity. It is negative in nature and bad for ourselves yet we continue to do it. The thought becomes central to ourselves and hurts us. The alternative is to surrender ourselves and go to where we always find happiness: Jesus Christ. The simple words, "Thy will be done," empowers us to exercise our faith and free us from the bonds that we created.

We cannot say we believe in God then ignore him when we need him the most. We must take that belief and turn it into a trust. This trust must be complete. It is hard to do and actually goes against our basic human desire for control but surrendering to God is exactly what he wants us to do. With surrendering comes an understanding that God is with us and will protect us. He will comfort us and guide us to true happiness. 

How many times have we all had an experience where we felt God guided us through? We then thanked him and continued on with our lives. Then another situation arose and we tried to control it. We then found ourselves out of control until we surrendered to God. The pattern repeats itself continuously. 

We must all strive to break that pattern and live our lives with faith and love; knowing that God will indeed guide us through.

Deacon Tom

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