Memorial of Saint Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church
The past couple of weeks have been a roller coaster of emotions. We have had the joy of celebrating our daughter’s third birthday, watching the excitement of our children as they return to school, and surprising my dad with a special gathering to celebrate his retirement. At the same time, my high school youth minister and friend of the family lost his life in a motorcycle accident, a very dear colleague and friend has taken a turn for the worst in her fight against cancer, and our prayer chain at school continues to grow. On a global scale, we witness flooding, hurricanes, wild fires, suicide bombings, continued suffering from the coronavirus, and so much more. It’s a lot to take in; enough to flood one’s soul with sorrow and pain.
During my reflection on the readings for the day, I was drawn to one particular line from Paul in the first reading. “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Col 1:17) God holds us together, especially when we feel that we no longer can hold it together on our own. We are reminded that we don’t walk this journey alone, “for in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell and through him to reconcile all things for him, making peace by the Blood of his cross.” (Col 1:20) In our joy and in our sorrow, let us take solace in the presence of the Lord and “know that the Lord is God; he made us, his we are; his people, the flock he tends” (Ps 100:3).
As I prepared for a meeting earlier this week, I came across a prayer attributed to the British poet, Margaret Cropper.
Now into the keeping of God I put
All doings of today,
All disappointments, hindrances, forgotten things, negligences.
All gladness and beauty, love, delight, achievement.
All that people have done for me,
All that I have done for them, my work and my prayers.
And I commit all the people whom I love
To his shepherding,
To his healing and restoring,
To his calling and making; Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
May we bring all things to Christ, our strength and our hope. Peace be with you.
Blessings,
Brandon Meyer