Our Lord has said it, St. Pio has said it. Even songwriters have said it. There is a time for everything. All things are passing. Bear everything in peace. To everything there is a time and season.
Time, what does it mean?
It seems for most of us it either flies to fast or drags too slowly. It happened too quickly: the reaffirming of the affordable healthcare act (which will be helpful for emergency doctor clinic to function smoothly) and mandated marriage changes all in one week. This, along with personal trials, was just too much to bear. This time things were too abrupt; the stroke was definite and piercing. It is easy for us as Catholics and Christians to despair. After the recent rulings, I found many fellow Christians angry or falling into depression.
One day, I picked up a book from our coffee table, “Stories of Padre Pio,” by Madame Katharina Tangari and published by TAN. I turned exactly to the page I needed to give my soul hope again, by Divine Providence. St. Pio advised Tangari to “bear everything in peace.” It reminded me that Christ holds the reins of this world. Oh, many of us would like to think that we can solely fix the errors of this world. But God, while giving us free will, will be the one delivering us from our dangerous decisions. He knows the right time to heal our wounds and correct our mistakes.
The next day the 1965 song by the Byrds popped in my head, “Turn! Turn! Turn!” It basically sings the wisdom ofEcclesiastes chapter 3. “To everything. Turn! Turn! Turn! There is a season, Turn! Turn! Turn! and a time to every purpose under heaven. A time to be born, a time to die…” It ends with “A time for love, a time for hate. A time for peace, I swear it’s not too late.” It is an interpretation of Ecclesiastics 3:1-8, written by Pete Seeger in 1959. Seeger said he wrote the melody in 15 minutes, according to Songfacts.com. Later it became a phenomenal hit!
God sees with infinite wisdom. We do not. I in my pride can get depressed, bitter, discouraged at the state of the world, or my personal life, but God holds the reins. He alone knows the right season.
Peace, however, does not equal idleness. We can pray, fast, do penance and speak out; however, we must live with peace in our hearts. Our Lord has seen us through many hard times, but we must not get dismayed, but “Pray, hope, and don’t worry,” as St. Pio often said. Making wise decisions does not come easily. We must seek wisdom from Our Lord, who is wisdom itself. Pray to Our Lady under the title, Mary, Seat of Wisdom. The wisdom of this world is folly and will never result in lasting permanence or peace. We, however, can still have peace in our hearts and bring it to others. Wise decisions are made with peace of heart. So let us enjoy this season of summer and the season of our life. These ruling are not what we had hoped and prayed for, but know “for everything there is a season.” Don’t despair. Bear everything with great peace.
Copyright 2015, Mary Mitchell
Mary Mitchell
Mary Mitchell, from Chicago, is a devout Catholic who likes to mix the divine truth with humor. She thinks it's the only way we can get through this life! Mary is the mother of three and has been married to her husband, Philip, more than 20 years. She has attempted to live the vows as a Secular Franciscan for about 20 years, but has a long way to go.
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