The other day I was stopped by a volunteer who expressed to me her misgivings of the goings on in the world today.
“What can anyone do?” she asked. “With all the bad news I hear on television and in the media, I feel helpless. Overwhelmed.”
I allowed that I, too, have concerns over the way we are treating one another and felt deep sorrow for those who do not have any type of belief system to provide them comfort and support. How, I wondered might they make sense of all this? What gives them hope? Peace?
I reminded her that there are certain universal truths:
1. We need to accept that there are times when we aren’t in control.
Six years ago, for example, the world’s resolve was tested with the COVID-19 pandemic. People were ordered to isolate themselves to help slow the spread while scientists struggled to develop medicine to fight it.
Many refused to comply, showing a disregard for the noble principle of the Common Good for All.
2. Some things, such as aging and death, we cannot control.
Sadly, as mentioned above, not everyone was willing to make the sacrifice called for, choosing death over life.
But lest we despair, psychologists tell us there are things that we can do to reduce our stress and anxiety.
For starters, we can control the amount of stress we absorb into our lives each day. In the case of bad news, we can turn off the offending TV news program or social media feeds. Or, at a minimum, be purposeful and reduce the amount of time (and space in your head) we give to it. We can silence our phone’s email notifications and/or set down the phone and do something else – take a walk in the fresh air, do some gardening or read a book.
We can also pray.
As people of faith, we have the assurances of God that we are being cared for even when we can’t see what is going on in the background.
We should pray. Constantly. For God’s will to be done.
Jesus did. And he had a lot more than we have to be anxious about! He had people actively trying to kill him.
So, what did Jesus do to keep from getting overwhelmed?
He made prayer a regular part of his daily life. He often would seek solitude from the crowds and find rest in communion with his Father.
He immersed himself in community, gathering twelve disciples for companionship and taught them as they accompanied him on his travels through Galilee and Judea.
He celebrated life and attended parties, dinners and weddings; making others feel important, respected and loved -- even the children being brought to him by their parents for a blessing.
He fed the hungry, brought mercy to the sinner and healing to the sick.
He cried while consoling the bereaved (Mary and Martha) and restored life to the dead (Lazarus and others).
He arranged for his mother’s care; and placing his full trust in his Father – Jesus died on the cross so that we might live with Him in glory.
Jesus did not allow himself to feel helpless. He actively sought out those in need and used his time to glorify his Father.
And gives us, his followers, the same effective prescription, “Go and do likewise.”
Deacon John DeGano is assigned to St. Catherine of Alexandria Parish in Riverside.