Monday Morning Meditation #57: Moving Past Fretting and Envy and Moving On To Trust

This week I have continued on with the psalms. Psalm 21 continues the theme of last week, so I moved on to Psalm 22. There is so much in there that presages and parallels Jesus's final hours that I could not begin to share any coherent thoughts. It is rich indeed, beyond my limited ability to fully fathom. So I moved on. The next psalm, Psalm 23, is my favorite, one I know by heart, one that parallels my life such that it is almost too personal to share. So, I moved on. That is what I do -- when things are too complicated too understand or too personal to dwell on, I move on until something gets better or God reveals why perhaps what I consider bad (and He might not) should continue for a while longer. Moving on is what I do instead of fretting about what harm someone might be trying to cause me, envying others with "better deals," or questioning God in whom I have learned to trust without question. Or, as the psalm says:

Do not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.

For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
And wither as the green herb.

Trust in the LORD, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.

Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.

Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;
Do not fret—it only causes harm.

For evildoers shall be cut off;
But those who wait on the LORD,
They shall inherit the earth.

Reading: Psalm 37

Meditation: For those who have been following this blog, our family has been moving on for the last couple of weeks from the thrice-repeated rape of our mentally challenged son, Doah. Things have been getting better and better, and I do update the right side bar "twitterlets" with the latest news frequently. While the state of California's licensing oversight committee is investigating the group home where the rape occurred and its management, we are pushing to get Doah's roommate who witnessed the events and spoke up about them out of that group home into something more appropriate where he is not constantly reminded of what happened. Since he is a savant with no relatives, we have "moved on" to become his relatives and advocates.

Like the psalm says, I find myself incapable of fretting. Taking steps and moving on, yes. Being angry or envying those whose lives are somewhat calmer (or seem to be), no. There is, of course, a part of me that weeps for my child. There is, however, no part of me that desires revenge. God will handle that part of matters; I do not need to worry about for I trust Him to do a better job of that than I ever could. Perhaps I would feel differently if the perpetrator had been a violent psychopath and not a poorly supervised mentally challenged illegal alien with no local relatives, but I don't think so. As David says in so many of the psalms, he needs God to fight his battles; he cannot fight them, let alone win them, by himself. And so, this battle of mine I leave in the hands of God and will be satisfied however He ends it.

Contemplation: That is far as I can go with you this Monday morning. I must retire to private prayer, repenting for any times I have fretted -- and, for sure, I have had my moments of that although most fretting disappeared in the wake of giving up frustration for Lent last year. I will thank God for taking on my battles for me, and I will praise God for His ability always to bring good from bad. As for petitions, I really don't have any right now, so I will "move on" to spend as much time as I can in contemplation, my favorite part of the day, letting God take over the direction in which my relationship with Him moves.

I will leave you to your prayer and contemplation. First, though, I would like to bring to your attention a Monday morning prayer post that you might enjoy:

Fr. Austin Fleming, priest of the Archdiocese of Boston and pastor in Concord, Massachusetts, posts a prayer each Monday morning that he calls "Monday Morning Offering." I enjoy his prayers very much. I hope you also will find them inspirational. He has graciously given me permission to include a link to his blog on my Monday Morning Meditation posts. (During the week, he also posts great homilies and other thoughtful discussions. I enjoy reading those, too.)


For additional inspiration throughout the week, I would point out two sets of blogs: (1) the list of devotional blogs on my sidebar and (2) my blogroll, where I am following a number of inspirational priests and writers about spiritual matters. I learn so very much from all these people. I highly recommend them to you.