Surrendering to Him

One of the most difficult things for me to figure out is exactly how to surrender to the Lord. Obviously, if He tells you to do something or not do something you follow that, such as the command in Scripture: “Do not kill.” That means clearly, I am to avoid ending the life of another, a rather straightforward and direct command. However, when it comes to surrendering to the Lord, it can be hard to know if He wants me to let go of my fears and keep trying, or if He desires for me to let go and stop fighting a battle that He does want me in. I am sure many of you can identify with similar struggles in your own life of not knowing what the right thing is.

At the end of the day, I have to ask myself what does the Lord want me to do for His Glory and not my own glory or what I fear? When I make this distinction, things usually come into perspective, even if I do not know what the right decision is at that moment. I know the information I need and what details are going to matter in making a good decision. But at the end of the day, I wonder what the Lord is asking of me. Yes, He desires for us to be of service to one another, but He does not desire for us to be utterly exhausted and become resentful at serving those closest to us. As St. Irenaeus said, “the Glory of God is man fully alive.” The Lord has “plans for your welfare and not for woe, so as to give you a future of hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11) Even if the road seems dark at times, He still wants what is best for us. So, take heart and trust the Lord will see you through. Reminder that we will have our first Lenten Day of Grace on Monday, March 6 at St. Michael’s from 6:00 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Holy Angels will have a Day of Grace on Tuesday, March 14, from 6:00 a.m.- 9:30 p.m. as well. Please check the bulletin for other Confession times. Do not miss your opportunity to receive the Lord’s mercy this Lenten season.

Please note that we will have a Mass on Monday, March 20 at St. Michael’s to celebrate the new patron of our Family of Parishes: St. Joseph, Pillar of Families. This will be a wonderful opportunity for us to celebrate with one another. I would like for this to be a chance for us to get to know one another. I also hope we can mend any hurt and divisions at least a little.

Thank you to the wonderful vicars of St. Joseph, Pillar of Families Parishes. They are all wonderful men and spiritual fathers. I am so appreciative of their spirit of sacrifice. Please thank them for all they do.

Peace in Christ,

Fr. Jarred Kohn