Column by Jonathan Nagy
A few days ago, I was cleaning when a shelf in my closet broke and I had a giant mess on my hands. That shelf held several boxes of old pictures from my childhood; back in the days when people actually printed pictures! As I was picking them up and putting them back in the correct boxes, I found myself nostalgically looking at all of the pictures. There were so many smiles, good times, and memories.
The adjacent picture of me caught my attention. Taken around 42 years ago, there I sat, smiling, with not a care in the world. While it made me feel good to look at that image, it also made me think about how things used to be much simpler and gave me pause to think about life’s ups and downs.
There is a great song written by MercyMe entitled, “Dear Younger Me.” The lyrics are about speaking to the younger version of ourselves and warning about the good, the bad, the mistakes, and the successes. Toward the end of the song, the lyrics read,
Every mountain every valley
Thru each heartache you will see
Every moment brings you closer
To who you were meant to be
Dear younger me
Not only do the lyrics point out that everything that has happened in our lives has shaped us into the people we are, but that we have also not been alone, for we have had God at our side the entire time. The song ends with a repetition of these lyrics:
You are holy
You are righteous
You are one of the redeemed
Set apart a brand new heart
You are free indeed
This song is a great reflection for everyone. Sure, there are things about ourselves and our stories that we would like to change, but who would we be today if we did change those things? More importantly, we must understand that God has and will always be with us in life and we are not meant to walk it alone. Yes, we have all had tragic scenarios in our lives, but God was there. In fact, there are likely countless other trials that His guiding hand has protected us from in life.
None of this is meant to make anyone feel sadly reflective, but to encourage hope. I can almost guarantee that we will all have more trials and tribulations ahead of us in our lives, but the thing to remember is that God is there and will always be there! He wants us to reach out to Him and ask for His help. A friend recently told me about a quote that she read that said when we pray to God, He is right there with us, actively engaged in our prayer. That is a powerful image to imagine and feel, and when you believe it, it becomes very real. No one has a magic time machine to go back and fix all of the mistakes and unpleasant events, but we do have the power to change the future through prayer and trust in God!
One of my favorite prayers is from the Breastplate of Saint Patrick. While the entire prayer is beautiful, the end sums up what our approach to life should be:
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me.
The man who has Christ in every aspect of his life has everything he will ever need. God loves us for who we are, for He made us all in His image and likeness. He wants to protect us and guide us in having a good life so that we can all, when our time on earth has ended, be reunited with Him in Heaven. He wants nothing but our love and will do everything for us, including dying on a cross, because He loves us. His death on the cross was not just to free those from sin and death 2000 years ago, it was to free us all from sin and death for all of eternity. Keeping Jesus Christ close to us all day, every day, is the best choice anyone can make. That is a choice that will never be a regret!
Recently, the Church celebrated the feast day of Saint Teresa of Avila, Doctor of the Church. After the passing of the great Carmelite reformer, the other nuns were going through her things. They found a piece of paper that she used as a bookmark in her Bible, and on that paper, she had written the following beautiful prayer:
Let nothing disturb you.
Let nothing frighten you.
All things are passing away:
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things.
Whoever has God lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.
I have found this prayer to be so meaningful, especially for such an extraordinary Saint to have written. Saint Teresa struggled with stress and anxiety, just as much as any of the rest of us do. She spent time thinking about the past and worrying about the future. Her penning this remarkably simple prayer was a reminder to herself and to us that no matter what, God alone is what is most important, and those that know Him have everything they will ever need.
Saint Teresa had difficulty at times in her life with spiritual dryness. In her autobiography, she refers to that dryness, saying, “During all this time I never dared to pray without a book, except immediately after communicating, so that my soul was as much afraid to be without a book, as to fight against a multitude of people.” In this quote, she gives us all guidance as to how to overcome the thoughts that we can’t have a spiritual connection with Jesus Christ. If it is difficult for you to do, start small. Read or listen to something spiritual. Maybe spend 15 minutes in silent adoration instead of an entire hour. Read the daily Gospel. Begin with a few rote prayers, such as the Our Father or Hail Mary. Work your way into deep conversational prayer with God. Petition the saints for their intercession. Eventually, the first few minutes you spend awkwardly trying to pray will turn into hours of providential experiences that will leave you wondering how you ever lived your life without prayer!
There are many examples in the Bible when Jesus spoke to the human conditions, especially worry and regret. All of His words are meant to comfort us and help us to see clearly that He has been there every step of the way and will continue to do so. Here are three of my favorite examples:
In John 14:27, Jesus said, “Peace I leave you, My peace I give you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or fearful.” That peace of God truly surpasses all understanding, and knowing He is with us is a calming thought.
In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus said, “Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden light.” He knows we all have troubles and worries, especially since He was God-Made-Man. He truly gets us, and not only that, wants to show us the way through our troubles and anxieties is through Him.
A third example of Jesus speaking about our worries can be found in Matthew 6:25, where He said, “Do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is life not more than food, and the body more than clothing?” Several study Bible sources refer to this verse as “The Cure for Anxiety.” Life is so much more than our earthly worries and concerns. God has a plan. We need to trust it!
Leave all of your cares with the Lord. Picture handing Him a giant rock that has all of your worries, concerns, regrets, and mistakes written on it. Watch Him destroy the rock and then open His arms for a loving embrace with you. That is the ultimate goal. To know the love of the Father is to rest comfortably in His arms!
If there was one thing I could go back and tell that smiling baby in that picture, it would be that living a life rooted in Jesus Christ would lead to a great life, for it has been. Looking back on life, we all have the ability to see when God was there even when we did not feel Him in the moment. How truly blessed we are that He knows all and loves us so deeply!
Jonathan Nagy, M.Ed., is the Principal of Bishop Carroll Catholic High School in Ebensburg and the Music Director at the Basilica of Saint Michael the Archangel in Loretto.
