By Kaitlin Klein
Wonderful Adventure
The theme of surrender is following me. It started about two months ago, when our Confraternity of Christian Mothers began studying Father Jacques Philippe's “Searching For and Maintaining Peace: A Small Treatise on Peace of Heart.” Since then, daily Mass readings, quotes and conversation topics have come up in my life, and I can see that the Lord is wanting me to keep surrendering to him. When I do, he promises a gift so great, one that Father Philippe calls the "road to saintliness" — interior peace. We all want to be happy — not only Christians, but all human beings. And we all want peace. I believe peace and happiness (true happiness, joy) are greatly related, and they are attained when we humbly surrender ourselves to our creator, who loves us more than we can imagine.
"Peace I leave you, My peace I give you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, nor fearful” (John 14:27).
Father Philippe says it is "fundamental ... for the development of the Christian life to strive to acquire and maintain peace of heart." This has recently clicked a little better in my mind, and so although it seems simple and rather rudimentary, I am focusing on acquiring this peace more deeply. I'm praying for help to do so. I want to continue on the path of perfection, but I feel the Lord saying, "Hold on. Let's work on letting me in even more, in letting me encompass your heart and your life." So I'm "pausing," in a sense; but I know that this is crucially important, and although it may seem like a pause, it is actually continuing toward holiness and Eternity.
Father Philippe notes that we must first acknowledge that without God, we can do nothing. We must stop trying to do things ourselves and surrender everything to the Lord. When we are able to live so freely, we are able to draw closer to God and to better help others. In his book, Father Philippe clearly explains difficulties and hang-ups that may keep us from acquiring this peace. He gives advice on how to combat problems and explains how "the reasons why we lose our peace are always bad reasons."
This surrender must be daily. It must be done in the small tasks of my day as well as in big decisions. It must become a disposition of my heart. It will take time, inevitably strewn with trials. Juan de Bonilla, a Spanish Franciscan, wrote in the 1500s, "Just as a city is not built in a day, do not think that you can achieve, in a day, this peace, this interior calm, because it is within you that a home must be built for God, while you yourself, become His temple." It is worth it. It is worth the time in prayer, the building of our relationship with God, the humility, the effort needed to give everything up. I'll conclude with another bit of wisdom from Juan de Bonilla, a quote that gives me even more desire and hope: "Experience shows us that peace, which sows charity, the love of God and love of neighbor in your soul, is the road that leads straight to eternal life."