Trustful Surrender

  The following events, as told by our friend Jeff, prove that miracles do happen and saints do intercede for us. Sometimes more than we could ever imagine. The First Miracle My wife was pregnant with our sixth child, and we went in for the first ultrasound.   After reviewing the results, the OBGYN told us that the baby had Cystic Hygroma (swelling behind the head and neck).  They told us we needed to go to another hospital with specialists that dealt with this type of pregnancy.   At the next hospital, we got some scary news.   The Cystic Hygroma was a signal for a chromosome problem.   Our baby had a 50-75% chance of having either down syndrome or turner syndrome (that only affects females).   If it turned out not to be one of these, it would be more severe. The baby would probably not live to his or her first birthday.   Needless to say, it was unnerving. We began to pray, and many families in our community began to pray for my wife and our baby.   One of our friends g

As fathers, how often do we strive to turn our own problems and situations over to God, but not be able to apply that same philosophy to our own children when they face similar situations? As Jeff points out, building our trust in God's Providence is a difficult journey, but each small step forward allows us to surrender just a little more while drawing us closer to Him. "After reading the Trustful Surrender book, I began trying to apply it in my life. The more I applied it, the more peace I received. I found it easier and easier to apply it to the big things in my life, but a little more difficult to remember to apply it to the smaller daily things that seem to pop up. I would usually react as I always have; without thinking. I also had a difficult time trying to apply it with my children. As a father, I have always been the type (like most men) that would try and fix everything. Solve the problem and move on. One day my oldest son came to me with a problem from s

As a hard- headed child of God, I quite often have the tendency to try to understand Him and His ways on my own. It is amazing how many times I try to reinvent the "Catholic Wheel". In the course of trying to wrap my mind around the true meaning of divine providence, I finally wised up and decided to consult an underutilized source from my bookshelf: The Catechism of the Catholic Church.  The following passages on divine providence are taken directly from the Catechism. There is no other source outside of Holy Scriptures that can explain it better. GOD CARRIES OUT HIS PLAN: DIVINE PROVIDENCE 302 Creation has its own goodness and proper perfection, but it did not spring forth complete from the hands of the Creator. the universe was created "in a state of journeying" (in statu viae) toward an ultimate perfection yet to be attained, to which God has destined it. We call "divine providence" the dispositions by which God guides his creation toward this

Rick shares with us a story about how choosing to conform to God's Will, especially when we may not initially want to, really does lead to peace in our lives:     "After reading Trustful Surrender to Divine Providence , I knew intellectually that it was the truth. However, I didn't know how I could wish for God's will and not my own short sighted wishes. This story is about the first time I realized conforming my will to His can bring peace today.     My entire family including my parents, siblings, and all our kids (18 in all) had been planning a Mediterranean cruise for 3 years. We were going to Sicily to visit our ancestors homeland. The amount of work putting this together and excitement was tremendous. We were flying to Europe from all over the USA. My wife, 2 boys ( ages 14 and 17) arrived at our local airport and were told that our flight was cancelled. After 2 hours and trying many options including speaking with 3 supervisors, I realized we would lik

Here's a great story from Fr George Rutler from the Catholic Education Resource Center. I like his quotation to the Catechism #395 with the "divine providence" reference. Satan never looks like Satan click below: Satan

HHS delays rule on contraceptive coverage

It's amazing how events in our daily lives so often correspond with the readings from daily Mass. In today's Gospel reading from Mark 4:26-34, Jesus gives us the parable of the mustard seed. Jesus said to the crowds ,"To what shall we compare the Kingdom of God, or what parable can we use for it? It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade." This passage is very relevant to a conversation I had with my friend Jeff this morning after our men's prayer group meeting. Many of our interactions and discussions in this group center around the struggles of fully surrendering our lives to the will of God. This concept came from a small book called Trustful Surrender to Divine Providence: The Secret of Peace and Happiness by Rev. Fr. Saint-Jure & St. Cl

"For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother ." These words are from today's gospel reading and come from the third chapter of Mark. This was spoken by Jesus to the crowd that had gathered. Jesus tells us that we are all called to be heirs to the Kingdom of God. In order to be heirs, we must become part of the family of our Heavenly Father. We must be brothers, sisters,and mothers to Jesus in order to inherit the Kingdom. How do we become members of the Heavenly Family? Jesus simply states that we must do the will of God. In the words of St Francis De Sales, whose Feast Day is today, "So live wholly according to the spirit,... live sweetly and in peace. Be quite confident that God will help you, and in all that happens, rest in the arms of His Mercy and Fatherly goodness."

There is a prayer by Cardinal Mercier that I say as part of my morning prayers. I think it is fitting prayer to those who are striving to trustfully surrender to God's will. There are a few variations to this prayer out there, including a longer version. I will use the version written in Father's Manual , published by Aquinas Press. This manual, I will add, is a great guide to all fathers who want to lead their families to heaven. The prayer begins as follows: I am going to reveal to you a secret of sanctity and happiness. Everyday for five minutes, keep your imagination quiet, shut your eyes to all the things of the senses, and close your ears to all the sounds of earth, so as to be able to withdraw into the sanctuary of your baptized soul, which is a temple of the Holy Spirit, saying: O Holy Spirit, soul of my soul, I adore You. Enlighten, guide, strengthen, and console me. Tell me what I ought to do and command me to do it. I promise to be submissive in everything th

Welcome to the Trustful Surrender Blog! Here we will present the stories of faithful Christians, both sinners and saints, who have chosen to trustfully surrender to God's Will in both the ordinary and extraordinary circumstances of life. From everyday encounters to life changing events. We will also highlight and reflect on quotes and passages from the Bible, Catechism of the Catholic Church, and writings of Catholic Apologists, Church Scholars, and especially the Saints. These offerings are intended to encourage and strengthen you as you make your faith journey.