Daily Reflection for Friday March 12, 2021
Peace and Blessings, Friends and Parishioners!
We encourage you to reflect on Friday’s readings at this link:
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/031221.cfm
If you prefer to use your own Bible, the readings are:
First Reading: Hosea 14:2-10
Responsorial: Psalm 81:6-8, 9, 10-11, 14, 17
Gospel: Mark 12:28-34
Our reflection on Friday’s readings:
We shall say no more, ‘Our god,’ to the work of our hands. (Hosea 14:4)
On every personality assessment I have ever taken, one of my strongest characteristics is “control.” I have always prided myself and relied on my ability to be in control, to manage through situations in a rational, logical way, to rely on myself and my skills and abilities to meet whatever life puts in front of me. This attribute served me well in my career as I progressed into higher levels of management and needed to always project a sense of confidence and control, even in stressful and uncertain situations. I believe I inherited this characteristic from my father who, from a very young age had a lot of responsibility, took that very seriously, and was always the decision-maker, in charge, and in control.
This past year has so dramatically challenged that sense of being in control. The pandemic raging through the world has obliterated any sense that I can control what happens to me and to those I love. This microscopic virus cannot be killed, it cannot be defeated; we can only attempt to do our best to avoid contact with it and avoid transmitting it to others. At the same time, my father’s dementia has advanced to the point where he is no longer able to “control” much of anything. Under pandemic isolation, his condition has taken a noticeable toll on my mom who is his primary care-giver. I have found that much of what I’ve tried to do to help is fruitless in the face of this heart-breaking, incurable, and debilitating disease.
Today’s words from Hosea show me that this sense of control, this ability to control-- something that I have often allowed to define me, is not real. It is “the work of my hands” that I have in a sense, been worshiping all my life. I believe what God is trying to teach me this year is to surrender and to put my trust in Him, to listen for His guidance and wisdom about what is it that is my part to do and allow Him to do all the rest. He is in control, not me. He is the miracle worker, not me. He is the source of my strength, not me.
Dear Lord, help me to surrender to you all my cares, my fears, and my worries and to trust that you are always there, guiding me and watching over me and all of creation.
Lenten blessings to all,
Andra Liepa