"We are travellers…not yet in our native land" – St. Augustine
Okay, I’ll stop quoting Chan for a bit, I promise…
“It is true that God may have called you to be exactly where you are. But, it is absolutely vital to grasp that he didn’t call you there so you could settle in and live your life in comfort and superficial peace.”
― Francis Chan, Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit
Hmmmm…I feel in the mood for a little bit of Gospel this morning…
Master, the tempest is raging!
The billows are tossing high!
The sky is o’ershadowed with blackness.
No shelter or help is nigh.
Carest thou not that we perish?
How canst thou lie asleep
When each moment so madly is threat’ning
A grave in the angry deep?
The winds and the waves shall obey thy will:
Peace, be still.
Whether the wrath of the storm-tossed sea
Or demons or men or whatever it be,
No waters can swallow the ship where lies
The Master of ocean and earth and skies.
They all shall sweetly obey thy will:
Peace, be still; peace, be still.
They all shall sweetly obey thy will:
Peace, peace, be still.
Today’s song is another from John Finch’s Wildfire album, “Peace be still”:
There is one name that can tame
the raging seas of my heart
through every trial and every fear
Jesus, I know You’re near
Peace be still
Peace be still
In the name of Jesus
In my affliction, You are my shield
You never let me go
Your word is comfort, Your name is power
I rest in You my Savior
In the sleepless nights
In the darkest times
You are there with me
When the morning comes
And I can feel the sun
You are there with me
I’ve been listening to more Joe Zambon recently. This one of my current favouries, “I just want peace”:
Cause I woke up, in the city
and I woke up, my mouth dry
because I woke up, to my living
Good Lord, I’ve been dead this whole time
Cause the sunrise, did in me nothing
Cause I’ve laid in bed every day I knew
And I realised that I’m not living
unless Lord I rise with You
And I don’t want money
nor all the world, honey
Cause I see it as nothing now to me
Cause the world You wanted
gave you nothing of what you need
And I’ll trade it all
If I could just find peace
And I’ve tried to win the affection
from people who have never cared for me
Cause I thought they were what I needed
but they’re just as damn lost as me
so I marry countless lovers
whom I hope would fill the well that had run dry
but I’ll trade all for Your promise
a new life that wells up inside
And I don’t want money
nor all the world, honey
Cause I see it as nothing now to me
Cause the world you wanted
gave you nothing of what you need
And I’ll trade it all
If I could just find peace
all I want is to find peace
(more than the riches)
all I want is to find peace
(more than fine linen)
all I want is to find peace
(more than my addiction)
Cause I see it as nothing now to me
Cause the world you wanted
gave you nothing of what you need
And I’ll trade it all
If I could just find peace
“A new year is at hand. We cannot tell what it will bring. If it brings peace, how thankful we shall all be. If it brings us continued struggle we shall remain undaunted.”
– King George VI, Royal Christmas Broadcast 1939
A couple of weeks ago I shared a quotation which is attributed to St. Francis de Sales and I thought given the events of the American Presidential election, it was time for another quotation…
“Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.”
– St Francis de Sales
2nd Sunday of Easter: 15th April, 2012This Sunday, as well being the Second Sunday of Easter, it is also Divine Mercy Sunday (declared by Pope John-Paul II in April 30, 2000). The Readings in the Lectionary therefore accordingly celebrate and proclaim the great mercy of God.
Three times in our psalm we sing “His mercy endures forever”. In our Gospel, when the fearful Apostles encounter the Lord whom they abandoned, they are greeted not with anger and condemnation but with invitations of “peace”. Our First Reading describes the early Christian community’s response to this Divine Mercy. Because of their experience of God’s great love for them, they in turn loved one another. They cared deeply for the brethren and put themselves and their possessions at the service of the community. This great love for God and neighbour is further explored by St. John in this week’s Second Reading.
Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself – Divine Mercy Chaplet