Saw this on a holy card tacked up in an overfull cork board in my kitchen. Thought I’d share — how often do we let our fears paralyze us when a little leap of faith is all we need to achieve our dreams?
Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do.
Saint John XXIII
The gift of grace increases as the struggle increases.
~St. Rose of Lima
I recently had an encounter with St. Rose of Lima while on a mini-vacation. Don’t worry, I don’t usually have saints come up behind me and tap me on the shoulder. I certainly wish things were that easy.
It wasn’t like that — I’ve just had a lot of things piling up for discernment. I’ve often felt that a memo from God would make everything so easy. I could obey, or disobey, and it would be very clear either way.
So I found myself confused — a little lost even as I struggled to make some decisions on my own. I was on vacation but instead of relaxing I was getting more and more wound up. Finally, I just prayed for a church, any church, so I could go inside for a moment. To pray. To sit before the Blessed Sacrament.
My husband, aware of my anxiety, googled local churches while I went inside a gas station for some drinks. He was smiling broadly when I came back, and told me I’d get a nice surprise about a block down the road.
Sure enough, we turned down a side road and there in front of us was a quaint little church named after St. Rose of Lima. I got my wish and the peace that comes from prayer: Jesus I trust in you.
A handwritten note just arrived in the mail, complete with wax seal affixed to the back.
I stood at the mailbox for a moment, giddy with anticipation, and rubbed my thumb across the seal — a little afraid I’d lop off a chunk of wax.
Nobody ever sends me anything like this. Truth be told, I don’t bother to send anyone letters, either. It’s a sign of the times. An email would have been fine. A text message even better. In fact, the small kindness that elicited this note didn’t require anything at all.
Which is why this is so special.
The kindness of others often moves me — people who offer to pray for me, and I know they follow-through. People who support me. People who are inconvenienced but do something for me out of love. How often do I mumble a thank you and move on? We both move on, really. I mean, this isn’t about holding up the doer as some kind of epic hero — I’m not suggesting that our actions require anything more than a simple thank you. What I’m getting at is a different point: I could be a little more intentional in my appreciation for what others do.
And, I really should pick up one of those nifty wax seal kits.
