Begin
“Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.” (Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta).
I am a person who often regrets things.
This is a terrible way to live. You see, when a person is regretful, they are unable to be present in their life. This is also a problem – not just in the physical world, but in the spiritual one as well.
You see, when I regret something, I am in some way, committing the sin of pride. I am making the assumption that I – and my actions – are somehow greater than God and His. Let me explain why…
You see, if I do something badly and in this way I displease God, I am making a choice to do the wrong thing. God Himself has provided me with a mechanism to reconcile to Him – even despite my sinfulness. And that mechanism is the Sacrament of Reconciliation. In this way I am able to ask my Beloved to forgive my sins. And when you think about it like this – despite never wanting to offend God, I should have nothing to regret, because even my sin can be turned to the GOOD by my Beloved. You see, the GOOD that can come of that sin is my ability to be humbled before my Beloved and my willing ness to submit myself to His Holy Will and come close to Him and beg for His forgiveness.
This is not to say that we should all go out and sin as much as possible so that we have an opportunity to come close to God and beg for forgiveness and be reconciled to Him through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Far better to be without sin in the first instance. However, the point that I am trying to make is that even my sin can be of use to God. Because it may well be that it is through my sin that God is able to call me home to Him…
“Oftentimes, we don't recognize the many gifts that God pours out to us in our daily lives. What we do recognize are daily annoyances, burdens, difficulties, and inconveniences. These win our attention. These get us complaining. These get us in a bad mood and sap our energy. Wouldn't it be a tragedy if, after we started receiving even more gifts and graces through our consecration [to Mary], we didn't change this negative attitude? Yes, it would be...St. Mother Teresa lived in some of the poorest environments on earth. She had to put up with burning heat, bad breath, stuffy rooms, nagging fatigue, endless responsibilities, bland food, hard beds, body odour, cold water bathing, and an agonizingly deep spiritual aridity. Yet, despite all this, she radiated joy. She smiled. She marvelled at the good things God did in her life and in the lives of others, and she pondered the countless loving details arranged by Our Lady. Seeing and recognizing all this, she didn't complain.” (Michael Gaitley, “33 Days to Morning Glory”; at Page 77).
And I have been thinking about this today, for it seems to me that so much has changed and that there is truly nothing to regret. After all, to use the words of Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta, “Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.”
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
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