By Maria Sermersheim
Meditatione Ignis
The weather at the moment matches my prayer life pretty accurately. The fast-moving clouds are beautiful but too effective, sometimes blocking the sun from sharing its warmth with me. I wear a sweatshirt and capri jeans; and depending on the status of the sun, I pull the sleeves up or down. The breeze is cool and just right—except when it is just a tad too cold. I alternately rest in comfortable warmth and curl just a bit with goosebumps.
It is such times as these – when prayers are alternately answered with abundant grace or seem to be just brushed aside, these times of fair weather just on the edge of discomfort – that I can be tempted to be most petty in prayer. Thus, it is also times such as these that I need to remember the words from St. Teresa of Avila’s bookmark, that “all things are passing; God never changes.”
God has shown himself to be kind, generous and loving. He answered my prayer to borrow my friend’s beautiful green gown to wear to Commencement Ball when she called me five minutes before the dance started, offering it to me for the night. He answered my implicit prayer to say goodbye to my fellow resident assistant, whose room I was distraught to find entirely empty in the morning…because when I turned the corner, wishing I had said goodbye to her, she exited the stairwell and said, “Thank goodness you’re awake!” as I exclaimed, “You’re here!” Even in something as small as wishing that I had given a better hug of farewell to a friend, God provided; I unexpectedly saw him again the next morning; and that time, I was ready.
In spite of the evidence of God’s mercies – or, perhaps, because of it – I do not always persevere well when prayers are not immediately or obviously answered. When the clouds temporarily cool the sun’s warmth, I do not wait too long before I pull my sleeves down for the sake of comfort. The clouds quickly pass, though, and I am back to rolling up my sleeves. “All things are passing.” Such a petty pursuit of comfort distracts me from the real matters before me, whether it be work or relaxation. Such distraction prevents me from persevering in the more serious prayers that I wish to offer to the Lord.
God has shown his power and goodness in the little things, but I do not present well the big requests because I have not been inclined to be patient. But “God never changes.” I should trust his own parable of the talents (Mt 25:23), and I should trust that his faithfulness and generosity in so many little prayers will not change in larger ones. I merely need to be patient enough and to persevere enough to make such requests. It is my responsibility, in a way, to bring these prayers before the Lord. I have already brought the smaller, and it is time to bring the greater.
As the storm rolls in, I understand the delicate game the weather has played. I understand the invitation my God has given. “Come, share your master’s joy” (Mt 25:23). It is time to roll up my sleeves and pray more consistently and persistently. In contrast to our own passing whims, God never changes, and his generosity knows no bounds.
Maria Sermersheim is a 2018 alumna of Reitz Memorial High School and a 2022 graduate of the University of Notre Dame. She welcomes emails at [email protected].