“When Jesus came back from the dead, and appeared to the Disciples… he could have been angry with them. On the day of his death, they ran away….afraid. They abandoned him.
Do you know what he said to them, when he returned?
“Peace.”
And it was so important, he said it again.
“Peace be with you.”
~Monsignour Begolly, Mount Saint Peter’s Church
As we were celebrating our nephew’s First Holy Communion, Monsignour reminded children how their parents normally respond to their less than great behavior.
“What are you doing?! Why did you do that?!”
He encouraged us to see it from Jesus’ perspective.
Practical application
This isn’t about being perfect, like Jesus. A tough lesson for me to learn has been one that reminds me I am not doing any good by feeling guilty about my “less than perfect” responses.
Just because I know better doesn’t mean that I always do better.
We are only human. And we have the Divine on our side.
This isn’t about putting pressure on ourselves to respond with love and compassion every time… this is a faith for us to lean on, to have as an example.
Of what’s possible.
Marianne Williamson quotes A Course in Miracles when she says,
“We don’t ask God for too much, we ask for too little.”
She says we need to think bigger.
We think our moments are too painful, our situations are too doomed. We are so caught up in the human mind that we forget so often what is possible. We lean too much on our own understanding.
Sometimes I think, but I just asked God for a miracle a minute ago. Is that too much to ask.
Nope.
Pray.
“You condition your mind so that your whole life is a prayer. Day in and day out.” ~Napoleon Hill
A child of God
Same intention, different words, Monsignour gave us the reminder to remind our children in these moments…. remind them of who they are.
….a child of God.
It was just last week that I had this profound insight: bedtime with my 9-year-old daughter, she complained about all the things she didn’t have, that didn’t go right that day, and that she had to go to bed.
My insight came, when I reminded her that she, along with the rest of us, aren’t from this place. We are going to feel uncomfortable and disconnected and frustrated. That is completely normal. We came into this world, glitter in our hair and riding our unicorn….and we learned unhappiness when we got here. We learned hurt and cruelty. We learned how to harden our heart because that is an element of this world.
And we are so much more than just this world.
As God would have it, as I remind my daughter of her divinity, I am reminded of my own.
Monsignour reminded us that we are all children of God, our place here on earth is temporary, and our place with God is eternal.
If you’re anything like me… or are human…
… you forget about peace… the peace that Jesus offered his Disciples…
…the peace that God offers us.
…the peace that is our birth right.
So often we forget our right for joy, peace, love and fulfillment.
We let the world tell us we are un-deserving and unavailable.
May we rise up…. and remember.
What if our greatest gift to our children is reminding them of their access to peace…. reminding them of who they are.
Have a beautiful week.
Nikki
Diagnosis during pregnancy 