Magis Catholic

In the past few days, I’ve been struggling to wrap my head around the fact that a virus has forced the world to a standstill. When the local headlines started swirling around the spread of COVID-19 across the globe, I didn’t understand yet what it meant and how it will affect daily life as we know it. 

As a young professional, much of what constitutes my life revolves around public spaces: I walk to the office every morning for work. I participate in group classes in my gym. I eat out with my friends in restaurants. I spend me-time in coffee shops to read. When I get to leave work early, I attend Mass in the chapel near my office. And when I go back to my dorm at the end of a long day, I share my dorm room with three roommates. There is no such thing as isolation in my world. Quiet time is a luxury I cannot seem to afford. 

The funny thing is that now that I am forced to stay home because of the community-wide quarantine, my desire to go out and explore seemed to have grown exponentially in my heart. My longing for what I call “my normal day” is increasing with each passing day. 

We Are Exactly Where God Wants Us To Be

But I have a confession to make. I have moments in my life when I feel the sudden urge to run away from it all: from my life, responsibilities, hobbies, and everything I call my own. It is a distinct feeling – and I also believe a temptation – of not being where I am supposed to be. I am not sure if this is a common experience for the young, or maybe it is just my desire to explore. I have been offering it up to God for the last 3 months. When He did respond to my prayer, it came to me when I was walking home with a view of the sunset sky and while enjoying the cool February breeze:

Everything is in passing, so try to be happy where I have placed you. This is exactly where you are supposed to be at this moment in time.

It was a great consolation, and it was an assurance as well: We are exactly where we are needed. We are exactly where God wants us to be. The true opportunity is in where we are, and there is power in embracing the God’s placement because it opens us up to the fullness of our realities.  

Jesus assures us that He will be with us until the end of the age. And this knowledge of God holding us in His hand means that we can rest. We are not lost. We are not forgotten. We are not alone. God walks with us. He holds us tightly as we walk the path that He has laid out for us. This is what St. Paul means when he said, 

“…I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” – Philippians 4:11-13

Worry Comes From Relying Too Much On The Self, And Not On God 

In the last week of November 2018, I attended the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises for the first time. It was a 4-day silent retreat and I found it to be quite unsettling for the first 2 days. I am not used to the silence, and especially not silence spent in prayer with God. I entered that retreat burdened by worries, until Ate Steph who was facilitating our retreat said: 

It is not God’s plan that we are always worried, anxious, and stressed. When we rely on our own strength, we discover our frailty and weaknesses. The Devil wants to make us feel weak and helpless. Rebuke him and remain in the Lord.

In times of uncertainty, it is easy to feel weak and helpless. But the truth is that we are restless because we are relying too much on ourselves. We are unable to find peace because when faced with these big problems, we find ourselves lacking and unable to measure up.

Worship Is The Opposite of Worry

St. Augustine wrote, 

My heart is restless until it rests in You.

What does it mean to rest on God? To rest on God means to trust God. It is to lean on Him with faith and confidence that things will work out for the good. We rest on God when we acknowledge our dependence on Him and we accept the fact that He is in control. It also means to place ourselves in a constant state of worship by trusting His plan and surrendering ourselves to His will.  

When we focus our gaze on Christ, we are freed from our burdens. When we lift our problems up to God, we gain divine perspective and all of it suddenly seems small compared to His glory. God already conquered the world through Christ. When God goes before us and is fighting for us, what can we be afraid of?  

Do not give in to sadness, torment not yourself on brooding. Gladness of heart is the very life of man, cheerfulness prolongs his days. Distract yourself. Renew your courage. – Sirach 30:21 – 23

In this forced quarantine, we have an opportunity before us. Now is the time for renewal and sacrifice. Now is also the time for service and charity. More importantly, in this time more than ever, we are called to rest on God.  St. Paul wrote, 

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 

Let your gentleness be apparent to all. The Lord is near.

Do not be anxious about anything, instead pray about everything. In prayer and supplication, make your requests known to God, and the peace of the Lord, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:4-7