The Only Way to Go is Forward

Let nothing disturb you,
nothing frighten you.
All things are passing.
God never changes.
Nothing is wanting to the one
who possesses God.
God alone suffices.
        (From a prayer found by St. Teresa of Avila's bedside)

We all know the saying: nothing is sure except change, death and taxes. Change is in fact, inevitable. It is the way life works. When we were younger change was easier to handle, but yet sometimes it was a little scary. We might have balked at going to school for the first time because the security of our mother was left behind for those few hours. We might have been fearful when we had to go to high school for the first time because it was so big and we were the youngest ones there. But even with that, the routine of school was a given. We more or less knew what to expect.

Then one day we had to leave home and move on. Whether it was to college, to the military, or straight into the workforce it meant everything changed. Yet we did it because we knew it was an opportunity for growth, and we knew it was time. Maybe we feared it a bit because it was unknown, but we still wanted or needed to go. The feelings were no doubt mixed, but we knew it was time to move into our own future. Eventually even that may have changed as new opportunities, new interests, new friends, maybe even a new vocation, emerged. Life changed again. Many of us who are older may be somewhere, doing something we never expected. I would wager most of us can say that was our experience. The road of life has twists and turns.

Now imagine the apostles who were mostly grown men with their own families. (The only one who seems to have been very young was John, but even he was considered an adult.) They were searching for something deeper, maybe having a sense that God had something else in mind for them, when they were told by John the Baptizer to follow Jesus. They all had occupations and loved ones, yet when Jesus said, "Come follow me" they did. Just like that. They embraced change. But then three years later, after some incredible experiences with this Jesus whom they came to follow, He was gone. He died. I am sure they thought, "Uh oh. Now what?"

And before they could adjust to Jesus being dead, He was alive again; resurrected, just like He said He would. This meant tremendous change, as if the following of Him as disciples and leaving what they knew was not enough. And just as they were adjusting to that, 40 days later, He left again when He ascended into Heaven. And only 10 days after that, Pentecost happened. More change! It is enough to make anyone's head spin.

However, the saving grace for them, (pun intended), is that they were indeed ready for each change. They may not have realized it at the time, but they were ready. God knew they were ready, even if they did not feel very ready. While things seemed to be happening quickly, Jesus had prepared them for each change. In reality that is what life is often like for you and me as well. Things can change in the blink of an eye, or they can change gradually. But either way, the Lord knows we are ready even if we do not think so. He has prepared us by the all events that took place previously. Each of those, whether they were pleasant or unpleasant, were opportunities for growth. Something was learned, or maybe it is still unfolding. We were empowered for what was to be the next leg of our journey even if we do not see or recognize the empowerment until we have to use it, so to speak.

Everything happens for a reason. But like the apostles we are not always privy to the explanation behind these changes. In fact, more often then not, we are clueless as to why things change. I have learned that there is only one direction to go in life and that is forward. We can not go back and change the past. We are powerless over that. Many of us have met people who are stuck there, trying to live there so as not to embrace the newness that they fear. There is no life being lived in that. It is just a re-run, over and over, of things long gone and opportunities missed in the present. Also, there are people stuck where they are, not able to take that step forward, as if clinging to some security in what they know now.

Yes, we need to live our lives in the present, but the key word is live. Every day brings a new opportunity, and with all opportunity comes risk. In order to move forward we need to risk, and we need to trust God is with us. Imagine if Mary was so afraid of what was to come after being asked to be the mother of Jesus the Savior that she said, "No" or "Can I have a few more years to think this through?" There would be no salvation! Imagine if the apostles were so afraid that they never left that Upper Room for fear of having the same fate as Jesus. There would be no Church! The Good News would not have been shared. And who would have made the Sacraments and Word available to the world if everyone was too afraid of what might happen? Interestingly, almost all the apostles and countless other disciples and followers did go to their deaths, but they did it because they believed so much in the Good News and in the truth of Jesus that they did not fear what was to come. They knew in the end they would have eternal life. They were fueled by the Holy Spirit and they were fueled by their love for Jesus! And they had come to know that the love of God was indeed the one thing that never changes. It is eternal.

Our lives will not be required of us in living the mission of discipleship, thank God. But often accepting change means a sort of death to something that we have to let go of in order to move forward. Jesus is no less with us in our changes than He was with the apostles. We are no less empowered and prepared for what is to come, even if we do not see it readily or feel it. Once we move forward, there is no going back because we are different once we take that step. And that is the beauty of it. We grow. Even when we make a mistake or what seems like a wrong choice, we grow. We pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, heal if needed, and move forward, all with God's help. That is living. It takes courage and it takes trust in God. The Good News is that He gives us what we need, He gives us the gifts needed. Let us be fueled with the Holy Spirit's power and with our love for the Lord.

Remember the prayer of St. Teresa:
Let nothing disturb you,
nothing frighten you.
All things are passing.
God never changes.
Nothing is wanting to the one
who possesses God.
God alone suffices.

Let us meet in the Heart of God, the only unchanging One, who empowers us, protects us, leads us and loves us eternally. And let us accept the gift of life and live it to the full. Peace!