Signal Graces

Fear seems to be a driving force in the world right now. Markets are affected by fear, people are living in fear, fear is influencing future decisions. There is a definite short-term impact of this kind of atmosphere, but of greater concern is how this way of thinking changes who we are as a people. We were not created to live in fear. We were created to be filled with a peace of knowing that our Creator loves and cares for our every need, both great and small.

I know these truths in my heart, but in the middle of fear, truth and logic are often lost on me. At these times, I find great comfort in the gentle reminders God so lovingly sends my way. I call them signal graces. They may arrive in the form of a book I happen to open to just the words that will touch my hurting heart. Sometimes a signal grace is gifted in the readings at Mass or in the message of a homily seeming to have been crafted just for me.

Other times signal graces come in unexpected emails from a friend, a surprising gesture from a stranger, the particularly beautiful way in which the sun glints through the trees, or the lyrics of a song I happen upon on the radio. The point is those graces are everywhere, always. It's just a matter of me noticing. God doesn't sit back and watch me struggle only to decide that at a particular breaking moment he'll send me a little sliver of hope to keep me from throwing my hands up and calling it quits. In fact, I believe I'm surrounded by these loving reminders and gentle supports every moment of my life.

It's not about me finding time or space to seek God. God is always seeking me.

I want to share with you a few of the signal graces I've come across in the last few days and weeks that have been particularly helpful in dealing with fear. I pray that you will find some comfort in them as well. I also hope you will take a breath from the fear that may be surrounding you and see the many gifts and wonders God has for you.

Isaiah 42:10

Fear not, I am with you;

be not dismayed; I am your God.

I will strengthen you, and help you,

and uphold you with my right hand of

justice.

Do Not Look with Fear

by Saint Francis De Sales

Do not look with fear

on the changes and chances of this life;

rather look to them with full faith that as they arise,

God--whose you are--will deliver you out of them.

He has kept you hitherto.

Do not but hold fast to His dear hand,

and He will lead you safely through all things;

and when you cannot stand, He will bear you

in His arms.

Do not anticipate what will happen tomorrow.

The same everlasting Father who cares for you today

will take care of you tomorrow and every day.

Either He will shield you from suffering or

He will give you unfailing strength to bear it.

Be at peace, then, and put aside all anxious thoughts

and imaginations.

Prayer by Thomas Merton

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going.

I do not see the road ahead of me.

I cannot know for certain where it will end.

Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.

But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.

And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.

I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.

And I know that if I do this

you will lead me by the right road

though I may know nothing about it.

Therefore will I trust you always

though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.

I will not fear, for you are ever with me,

and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

Say Often, "Lord, Have Mercy"

by Henri J.M. Nouwen

"You wonder what to do when you feel attacked on all sides by seemingly irresistible forces, waves that cover you and want to sweep you off your feet. Sometimes these waves consist of feeling rejected, feeling forgotten, feeling misunderstood. Sometimes they consist of anger, resentment, or even the desire for revenge, and sometimes of self-pity and self-rejection. These waves make you feel like a powerless child abandoned by your parents.

What are you to do? Make the conscious choice to move the attention of your anxious heart away from these waves and direct it to the One who walks on them and says, "It's me. Don't be afraid" (Matthew 14:27; Mark 6:50; John 6:20). Keep turning your eyes to him and go on trusting that he will bring peace to your heart. Look at him and say, 'Lord, have mercy.' Say it again and again, not anxiously but with confidence that he is very close to you and will put your soul to rest."

[Source: The Inner Voice of Love by Henri J. M. Nouwen. Image Doubleday Books© 1996.]