Great Secrets to Peace: Humility, Faith, & Trustful Surrender
Let nothing trouble or frighten you. Everything passes, God never changes. Patience obtains all. Whoever has God needs nothing. God alone is enough. -St. Teresa of Avila
Everything comes from love, all is ordained for the salvation of man, God does nothing without this goal in mind. -St. Catherine
If you are humble nothing will touch you, neither praise nor disgrace, because you know what you are. -Mother Teresa of Calcutta
Let neither praise nor disgrace affect you. Be indifferent to it all. Whether someone thinks you are amazing, or someone thinks you are horrible. It’s all smoke and mirrors, all vanity, all nothing ultimately. Just dogs yapping behind a cage as we walk on by. 100 years from this day, not one ounce of it will matter to us at all. The only consolation for our souls in this life is truly God alone. He alone matters, the rest is ultimately pointless. His opinion and assessment of us is all that matters. Let go of any need for approval or any fear of disapproval. Follow God, keep the Commandments, and walk in peace.
It is not to minimize issues we face day to day, but rather to place those “pressing” issues in their proper context. The crosses we carry will always be smaller when compared to the sufferings of others with heavier crosses, and infinitely smaller than the cross of Jesus. So, let us carry our crosses, joyfully, with a peaceful disposition. And whether others praise us or bring us disgrace, pay no heed to it, pray for them and love them and keep following the voice of the Good Shepherd. If we have wronged anyone, let us be quick to seek forgiveness, then move forward. If others have wronged us, let us make excuses for them and forgive them long before they ever seek it, or even if they never do. This is a great secret to peace. They will answer to the same God that we do.
In the end, it is more important to love than to be loved, to understand than to be understood, to forgive than to be forgiven. The soul at peace has no need of any of these from creatures and can practice holy indifference, because her consolation, and approval, comes solely from God alone.
God’s Will is always true, perfect, beautiful, and good. The devil seeks to throw in his little attacks in our lives; but he forever remains a liar. He has been a liar from the beginning, and he is the father of lies. Pay no heed to the attacks of a fallen, shamed, and miserable liar. Stand firm on the foundation of Truth. Our God remains a trustworthy, steadfast, and mighty fortress. And the demons continue to tremble at the names of Jesus, Mary, and St. Joseph.
Our Lord Jesus Christ told us to not be afraid and taught that the Father has an intensive knowledge and tender love for each one of us. We were created and fashioned uniquely and intentionally for a specific purpose. It is not necessary to know all the ins and outs of the larger plan. All God needs from us is our fidelity, trust, obedience, and service, and God will take care of the rest. This is also a great secret to peace. Be deeply invested in the sacrament of the Present Moment. Live deeply within the Divine Will. Have complete and unshakable confidence that the Holy Spirit dwells within us, provided we are in a state of grace.
At every single Mass, and in the beginning of every single Rosary, we profess the Creed, whether it be the Nicene or the Apostles. Either way, we all begin with the words “I Believe.” Do we truly believe the words we are professing in these prayers? We profess to believe, and to be convinced, that the Father Almighty is the Creator of Heaven and Earth; and that Jesus Christ is His only Son and our Lord, and is truly consubstantial with the Father, and for our salvation He came down from Heaven and for our sake He was crucified and rose again, in accordance with the ancient prophecies of Sacred Scripture, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father; and that the Holy Spirit is the Lord and Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, and has spoken directly to us through the prophets. We also profess to look forward to the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.
Either we believe these statements, or we do not believe them. Either we are convinced in their truthfulness and treat them as factual, or we suspect them to be false and treat them as doubtful or outright lies, myths, and fables. So, when you recite these professions of faith, upon which side do you stand? If you believe what you are outwardly and vocally professing, then why live crippled with fear or anxiety? After all, we have the Lord God Almighty on our side. This, too, is a great secret to peace.
St. Paul of the Cross said, “When you become too introspective and curious about your own progress, you have lost sight of God. It is better to stand at the foot of the Cross without noticing yourself. If you are always looking for signs, then it is a sign that you are trying to direct yourself instead of abandoning yourself to the care of your Heavenly Father.”
I encourage Christians to pray this Litany frequently, as it has been a tremendous help to my own growth in the spiritual life:
The Litany of Humility
O Jesus, meek and humble of heart,
Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being loved,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being extolled, etc.
From the desire of being honored,
From the desire of being praised,
From the desire of being preferred to others,
From the desire of being consulted,
From the desire of being approved,
From the fear of being humiliated,
From the fear of being despised,
From the fear of suffering rebukes,
From the fear of being calumniated,
From the fear of being forgotten,
From the fear of being ridiculed,
From the fear of being wronged,
From the fear of being suspected,
That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease, etc.
That others may be chosen and I set aside,
That others may be praised and I go unnoticed,
That others may be preferred to me in everything,
That others may become holier than I,
provided that I may become as holy as I should,
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. We love you. Save souls. Amen.
