The Gentle and the Worst

Beloved--

    A prayer from Thomas à Kempis:

O God, strengthen me by the grace of your Holy Spirit.
Make firm within me my efforts to be holy;
empty my heart of all unnecessary worry and anxiety,
and do not let it be carried away by the desire of anything whatsoever,
whether with the having or otherwise.
Make me see that all things are passing away,
and that I, too, must one day follow them;
for there is nothing beneath the sun that lasts forever,
and everything here is but frustration and lost labor, all of it. . . .”
~ from Book III, The Imitation of Christ

    While I beg to differ with Brother Thomas on his last line, the rest of his prayer rings true to me.  All things pass away, the gentle and the worst, and someday I will too.  At age thirty those words would have worried me but at fifty-four they are simple, plain and comforting.  Each moment contains what news it must and we take it in as best we can, moving forward in the faith that God has all things in hand.  Our resistance and complaining only tangle us in the current, taking both our footing and our breath.  Knowing I will also pass from this life makes my time here precious all the more, for the people and the beauty of every place and season.


    As all things are passing away, I might learn to hold them gently, whether in my hands or in my thoughts.  To treat the good and lovely parts as sacred and be glad I was allowed to know them.  To endure the hard and hateful parts, if only for the lessons left behind.
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    Brother Thomas is welcome to his view of things, but I can’t concede that everything here is but frustration and lost labor.  Too much is beautiful and kindly and full of joy and hope.  Labor spent in love for neighbor and justice for the stranger surely aren’t lost, even if we can’t see the whole harvest of the work.  In every case, I am glad to share this life and work with you. 

~ peace & prayers,
pastor annette