MEMORIAL OF ST. THERESE OF THE CHILD JESUS
Last night before I climbed into my bed, I laid down with my dog, Addie, on her bed for some goodnight snuggles. As I lay there with my sweet pup, I realized a few things.
Cris and I have been getting ready for a road trip to visit his family. As always, I'm anxious about many things, not the least of which is leaving Addie with a sitter. She doesn't know I'm leaving her; she seems to think life is perfectly fine. She gets up with me in the morning, stays by my side all day as I work, and when I'm ready for bed, she nestles into her bed, ready for sleep. She doesn't need a vacation from her daily life because she doesn't worry about what tomorrow will bring. For her, tomorrow will bring more of the same routine, and that is fine with her.
As I worry about what to pack for our trip (money? sack? sandals?) I realize I want to be more like Addie. I want to be carefree because I trust the Lord fully. You see, Addie trusts me to provide for her. I snuggle her; I feed her; I take her outside for zoomies; all of her needs and desires are met. (Okay, maybe I don't give her the bite of my food she is begging for, but that's because it's not good for her.) Do you see where I'm going with this? The Lord gives good gifts to His children. He watches over us and provides the things we need. In today's Gospel, when Jesus tells the Apostles to travel without money, sack, or sandals, He's not merely inviting them into a new level of trust but a new level of relationship with Him (Luke 10:4).
Why then do we not have childlike (or puplike!) faith that tomorrow will be okay? It's a tough one. Trusting the Lord, entirely, completely, totally with our lives, takes Saintly devotion. It is not something we wake up one day and decide to do. No, it takes years, lifetimes even to become completely trusting in the Lord.
Jesus asks you and me to travel light, relaxing our hold on the things we would typically cling to and instead focus on bringing His presence and peace to those we visit. Rest assured, whatever we leave behind will make us a more effective instrument for the Kingdom of God.
As for me, I'm going to start watching my dog for examples on how to be more trusting and worry less.
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