"He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust. Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day; Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes shall you look, and see the reward of the wicked. Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways."
--PSALM 91: 1-11
First and foremost, I would just like to say that I really like everything this guy Psalm has to say. He and his brother Proverb were truly enlightened individuals...light years ahead of their time. With that said, I would like to dive into the meaning of this passage.
It is so easy to be overwhelmed by life, as a whole, because life is a giant collaboration of obstacles and pitfalls. Too often we look at the big picture, and feel helpless, because it is too much for us to handle at one time. And it is. Even with all of the technological advances in the very recent past, man is STILL man, and a man or woman is only capable of accomplishing one goal at a time.
Whether you are a fan of sports or not, you can appreciate the old saying, "We're taking it one game at a time...one play at a time." It is such an over-used and overheard soundbite in postgame news conferences, but it is the only successful way to go about winning ballgames, and, in turn, championships. Life is very much the same. For one to accomplish the equivalent of a "life championship" he or she must first focus on the goals of day-to-day life. Do not overlook the importance of any given task, no matter how minute it may appear to you.
Have no fear, too, because the LORD will never abandon you. The Holy Spirit is Ever-Present, insatiably waiting for our call of distress. Our guardian angels, as well, wait, just to be acknowledged by us, and even when they are not, they perform their role of protection with fervor and passion. I have been in many dangerous situations, and I have survived all of them, because of my guardian angel, who is an extension (an outstretched wing) of the LORD.
God wants us to succeed, as long as the main purpose and end result is to serve and please HIM and His agenda. And He will protect us, through anything, as long as that is our main goal. He will never leave us unprotected, period. He built this beautiful world, with all of its splendor and wonder, so that we may dwell in it and give thanks to Him!
Love and God Forever,
Anthony Paul
2 comments:
This passage really reminds me of the Opus Dei spirituality...have you ever read anything by St. Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei? His spirituality is very much focused on the little things, doing each and every task (as mundane and seemingly insignificant as it may appear, ie changing a diaper, wiping down barstools, etc) for God's glory. He emphasizes that sanctity is only ever in the present moment.
Though all the saints taught this in some form or other, St. Josemaria is a master of this theology. I highly recommend reading him, on a daily basis for inspiration!
I have not heard of St. Josemaria Escriva, or Opus Dei...I'm not sure anyone other that you and Peter have. J/K, but I will definitely give it a read. In a weird way, I first took notice to this form of "mindfulness" when I lived in Los Angeles, reading "Living Buddha Living Christ" by Thich Nhat Hanh. He is an AMAZING writer, and although he is a Buddhist monk, he gives great insight to the Catholic Church. At one point he talks about how, as a Buddhist monk, he and his comrades discipline themselves to be "mindful" of everything. For instance, when they eat, they do nothing but think about everything that went into the food they are ingesting--the sky that holds the clouds, the clouds which release rain, the soil that accepts the rain and uses it to fertilize the soil, the sun that provides energy for the plant to perform photosynthesis, etc, etc. Obviously he believes in Buddhism, and I never did take on to that, but with all of that in mind, knowing God is EVERYTHING, in a roundabout way he provides a Christian lesson through his Buddhist beliefs.
Anyway, I will read Opus Dei, and I thank you very much for the suggestion.
Love and GOD forever,
Anthony Paul
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