Daytime Prayer for mid morning had a seasonally appropriate image that I'd like to share:
Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose hope is the Lord.
He is like a tree planted beside the waters that stretches out its roots to the stream:
It fears not the heat when it comes,its leaves stay green;
In the year of drought it shows no distress, but still bears fruit.
Watching the leaves on my trees folding up to conserve their moisture, and my potted porch plants wilting in our current Northeast heatwave, its easy to appreciate Jeremiah's analogy for doubt and fear vs. trust in God. We all have times when we doubt God's goodness, or providence, or even His existence. Or we see the Church under assault from within and without and wonder...will the Church really last to the end as Jesus promised? Is it possible we've all been fooled into believing myths spun around a Galiliean teacher who was just that, but no more?
And then, in times of pain, there's always..."how can a good God permit,etc.?"
I feel that way sometimes. Sometimes for only a fleeting moment. Other times, for a longer period. I don't lose faith exactly.
But I do start to wilt a bit.
The thing to do is stretch out my roots a bit closer to that stream. Acts of Faith. An extra rosary. Fortifying spiritual reading. Read the Divine Office very attentively so as not to miss anything God is trying to show me through its words. Above all--get to the Eucharist--don't wait for next Sunday to come around.
All these things are the sources of living water for my spirit.
