August 10, 2003
Surrender
Going
Off to College?
Hundreds of our parishioners will be soon going off to college -- either
for the first time or as returning students. At St. Brigid’s we
like to stay in touch through
e-mail “letters from home.”
Once a person has an e-mail address at school (or if he/she uses a personal
address), please let us know what it is so we can include them when
we write.
Here's a handy college link so you
can send this info online.
God
Bless Augustine!
Father
Augustine finished his visit with us this past week. It was so wonderful
to have him back “home” among us. We ask God to bless him
as he returns to India to visit his family and to Rome to continue his
ministry there.
e-mail Father Ralph:
Past Columns:
August 3: Reaping Rewards
July 27: What's your
mission?
July 20: From a Deserted
Place
July 13: Nothing for the
Journey
July 6: God at Home
June 29: Going in Stages
June 22: Sommer in the Summer
June 15: Our Newest Priest
Ordained
June 8: The Feast of Pentecost
June 1: Beyond First Communion
May 24: Felicidades Manuel
May 18: Twenty Years Later
May 11: Bows for Peace
May 4: Upcoming Ordinations
April 27: One Heart One
Mind
April 20: Amazingly Graced
Days
April 13: Ashes to Palms
April 6:
God Embedded
March 30:
Pastoral Visits
March 23:
Turning Tables
March
16: Transfiguring Imagination
March
9: Beasts and Angels
March 2:
Lent and Imagination
Feb 23: Sorrow
Far and Wide
Feb 16: Saints
Feb 9: Columbia Lessons
Feb2: Giving At A Difficult
Time
Jan 26: Penny Power
& Catholic Schools
Jan19: Yet Another
Year
Jan 12: Stealing Jesus
Jan5: The Wise Still Come
From Afar
Columns from 2002
In my homily last weekend I spoke of two
different stances we can take in prayer: (a) We tell God our agenda and
expect that God will act as our “personal assistant” or servant
and do our bidding and (b) we surrender our agenda before God and seek
to know God’s will for us and let God work through us.
We see the same dynamic this Sunday in the
Word of God. Because of a famine that has spread through the land, the
prophet Elijah has given up hope and tells God that he’s ready to
die. (That’s Elijah’s agenda.) But God has other plans for Elijah
and feeds him. Elijah was open to God’s working through him and he
ends up doing great things. (A nice alternative to death.) The people
in the gospel have a harder time surrendering to Jesus. They were perfectly
happy when he fed the 5000 -- they even wanted to make him king. (Sure
-- a king who feeds you for free-- what’s not to like in that?) But
now he is saying that he wants to feed them with his very self -- he wants
to live IN THEM. So they start murmuring against him. It’s hard sometimes
to let go of our own notions and let God in.
St Ignatius of Loyola prayed a wonderful
prayer of surrender before God and after I quoted it, I got calls, e-mails
and personal requests for a copy. So here it is:
Take, Lord, receive all my liberty,
my memory, understanding, my entire will.
Give me only your love and your grace:
that is enough for me.
Take, Lord, receive all I have and possess.
You have given all to me, now I return it.
Give me only your love and your grace:
that is enough for me.
Take Lord, receive, all is yours now.
Dispose of it, wholly according to your will.
Give me only your love and your grace:
that is enough for me.
Your love and your grace are enough for me.
You are Person
