This past week, on the wonderful solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, the refrain of the day’s responsorial psalm (Ps. 40) spoke powerfully to me. 

​Maybe Someone wanted to make sure I got the message😊…I had the opportunity to hear it twice due to my participation in the evening Mass at the parish where we teach religion, in conjunction with a special gathering there.

Within going into detail, I’ve faced some difficulties and uncertainties in the past several months.
 
The above-mentioned psalm really taught me a lesson, this week, about how I should approach challenging situations which are out of my control. 

I am learning (I hope), thanks to the inspiration from this psalm, to face these frustrations, not by trying to get my way or wondering why things aren’t happening as I think they should, but by repeating the prayer: “Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.” 
 
It is becoming clearer to me that, even if things don’t fall into place as I’d like, if I keep turning to the Lord with trust and resignation, that is what matters.  He will take care of the rest.  He knows best, and is able to make “all things work together for good.”
 
In my American tendency toward self-reliance, it is easy for me to fall into the trap of wanting to figure out and handle things myself.  Of course, I pray about them, but sometimes I get the attitude that I know what is best and, if I fight hard enough, maybe it will happen. 
 
Reflecting on this verse, though, in company with Our Lady, I have been directed in a new and more freeing direction. 
 
Making the prayer: “Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.” in moments of frustration or difficulty is comforting, and I hope it can become a fruitful habit for me in the weeks, months, and years to come.

A couple of weeks ago, Sr. Mary Ruth asked me to facilitate her monthly “Youth Night at the Convent,” as she would be out of town on the scheduled evening. 
 
I agreed and, after learning the topic, began thinking about the evening, particularly the chapel time, as that was not planned out and was open to my discretion. 
 
The day before the event, I still didn’t have much in mind. 
 
Then, as I was reading the book for our Monday morning study group,  it hit me…
 
In that week’s reflections, the writer, Fr. Michael Gaitley, touched on the idea of friendship with Jesus.  In the book, Consoling the Heart of Jesus, he had also been sharing about the apparitions of the Sacred Heart to St. Margaret Mary. 
 
Things started fitting together…
 
On this Friday evening, with the night’s theme centering on friendship, why not pray the Litany of the Sacred Heart together?  Why not meditate on the passage from John (15:14-15) where, at the Last Supper, Jesus calls His disciples “friends?”
 
As I thought about this more in the coming days, I realized that this message wasn’t just for the young people…It was a reminder for me as well!
 
My preparations for Youth Night were “a friendly reminder,” you might say, of an important aspect of my own relationship with Jesus.  It is a friendship (amazing as that is!) 
 
I want to approach my spiritual life and practices in light of this reality, which had faded a bit in my mind. 
 
For example, as I think of my daily time for scriptural meditation, etc., my attitude shouldn’t just be: “I have to go to Chapel and get my prayers in.”  Rather, “I get to go spend time with my Friend.” 
 
As we approach the season of Lent, this is a good motivation for me to get up early and make the extra effort to have this quality time…before the busyness of the day and its distractions crowd my mind. 
 
I hope that for you, also, this Lent may be a time of renewal in your friendship with Our Lord. 
 
Maybe this can be a friendly reminder for you, too.