Fr. Thomas used to teach us about Psalm 103:1 – “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name.” He used to tell us that this Word of God is commanding our soul to bless the Lord. As we read it, we are reading it to ourselves, telling our inner being to bless the Lord.
Recently I went to hear Fr. Jacques Philippe speak in Las Cruces. One of his talks was about maintaining the inner peace of Jesus no matter what our circumstances are. The next morning I was reading from Psalm 131:1-2 which was along that same theme.
“I do not busy myself with great matters, with things too sublime for me, rather I have stilled my soul, hushed it, like a weaned child. Like a weaned child on its mother’s lap, so is my soul within me.”
I like how this scripture again speaks to our own souls. This time it is saying, “I have stilled my soul, hushed it.”
It is so easy to get worked up about some external going on around us. Yet we can, with the gift of Jesus’ peace, speak stillness and calm to our soul. We can hush our soul, telling it to be quiet and at peace.
I can easily relate to this scripture of stilling my soul like a child on its mother lap. When my child was all worked up about something, I would hold them snugly on my lap and say quietly, “Rest.” They would often cry and arch their back and whine to get down, but I just kept holding them snug, repeating the command, “Rest.” Eventually, with time and perseverance, the child would calm and be still on my lap. I didn’t put them down until they were calm and quiet.
During this time of year, we may be very busy hustling and bustling around with so many things to do. Let’s find time during all of that to go back to the stable and speak this word of God to our soul saying, “Sh, sh, sh…hush soul, be at peace, all is well.” Ask for the gift of Jesus’ peace. It truly is a gift from Him.
Jesus says in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”
So the peace Jesus gives is a gift, and we have the power to not LET our hearts be troubled. We need to speak God’s word to our soul. If He calmed the storm at sea, He can certainly calm our inner self. Let’s trust in Jesus. He has everything under control.
Merry Christmas to you all, and may Christ peace reign in your hearts now and always.
Mary Ann / Mother Hen
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