Transcription
[Music] Welcome to Let Love, a podcast with the Sisters of Life. We invite you to join us for conversation looking at life through the lens of love. You are loved. You are made in God's image, and your life matters. Let's talk about it.
Hello, and welcome back, Let Love podcast with the Sisters of Life. I'm Sister Veritas, and this is Sister Anu's Day. And as usual, a total blessing and gift it is. It really is to be back and be back with all of you. You're always in our prayers, but it's such a privilege just to join you in this way each week.
Fun way to start, Let Love cast out your fear! Let Love cast out your fear! I'm all about it. Me too. But I wonder, before we dive in, it's like, should we give any local updates? Yeah, because it's been so long, you know, it's been a while. Life in the Bronx. Life in the Bronx. What's going on?
Well, you know, one thing I've noticed actually is the squirrel population. Really? Yeah, there's something happening. It's true. Yeah, I've made quite a few observations myself. What are you noticing?
Well, I'm noticing they're skinnier. Yeah. Yeah. Scraggles had to get new pants because it didn't, they didn't fit anymore. His squirrel pants. Yeah, I know. They're really slimming down. Yeah. And just for those of you who don't know Scraggles, um, Scraggles is a squirrel that we really like who's, uh, two-toned. Yes. And he looks like he had been dipped. A dipped squirrel. Dipped squirrel. Dipped in ketchup or something. Yeah. So he has little squirrel pants, but they've dropped a couple sizes.
No, it really is amazing, Sister. I totally agree. And it is, I think these squirrels, as we've been confronted with global pandemic, kind of have, have confronted major hardship. So these are squirrels that primarily got their food from the school. Yeah. Um, so we're talking leftover pizza bagels, bagels, Capri Suns, Nutella. I remember seeing a squirrel with a Nutella, like a fun dip Nutella, like stuck on his head. I'm serious. It's a true story. Like Nutella all over his whiskers. I mean, and he wanted every last bite. Um, he knows what's good. He knows what's good. But so, so their food source went away. So then they had to learn to like eat normal things squirrels that squirrels eat. Huge adjustments. Huge adjustment. They've slimmed down because then they had to face the summer. So school's still not back. And, um, what really, really compelled me, you know, this whole like touch-free like, uh, drop grocery drop-off with the P-Pod. Oh, yeah. Right. So like we had an order and we knew they were supposed to be coming, but then like we didn't see them and they're away after their window. And we're like, what is going on? So finally we went out, um, and checked on, and lo and behold, yes, P-Pod had literally dumped our groceries on the lawn again. God bless P-Pod. They were doing the best they could. And, um, but of course the squirrels got to our groceries. Of course they did, because they're on it. They're smart, smart, and hungry. What I was shocked about though, is there were some options. There's good options. I think we were planning for like a birthday, so there's some sweet treats in there. But the squirrels went only for one thing. What? Yeah, whole wheat tortillas. What? What's happening? I know. So they've had a real, um, they've really been able to overcome, like dance in this time of adversity. Yeah. Like the thing that really feared the most, which was lack of pizza, right? And they, they moved with it. They moved with it. And now they're like, they're dancing with it. They look healthy. They look agile. There's new hawks and, and birds of prey in town too, because the baseball fields have been quiet. And these squirrels are dancing. I'm, I'm actually super impressed. I didn't respect them much, but they look like healthier, brighter, bolder squirrels. And I think as a loose connection, Let Love cast out your fear. This is what God wants to do actually, because he doesn't want us to live pinned beneath our fears, our anxieties, our concerns, um, that in and through his love, we can live free, overcome whatever we might be facing in our lives, and find new ways and grow new strengths like these good old squirrels here in a backyard and make healthy spiritual choices, like spiritual whole wheat, you know. Amen. Amen.
Well, should we kick it off with a prayer, Sister? Perfect. Here we go. In the name of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Amen. Father, we thank you for thinking of us, for creating us, for loving us. We ask just for a double portion of knowledge and understanding of the full gift of your Holy Spirit in our minds, in our hearts, and our souls to convict us that you are our Father, that your love is greater and stronger and deeper and wider than everything else. We ask for every grace to bring you our fears as children who trust you, as sons and daughters who know they have a loving Father who cares and desires to attend to all that afflicts us and afflicts our hearts. We ask for every courage to be transparent, to bring you our troubles and our fears, that your love might consume them. We ask all of this in the name of your Son, Jesus, and we ask for the help of your Blessed Mother as we say, "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen." Our Lady of Victory, pray for us. Amen. In the Father, Son.
That was beautiful, Sister. I love that. Amen. Yeah. And I love, I mean, this is, I think, such a relevant topic because we're all, you know, we all experience fear in our lives one day or another. And I, I'm so glad we're talking about it because it's important to name it, to call it out, and to address it. But I, I'd love to know just first, like, can we define fear? Yeah. What is it, you know? Yeah, because it can be evasive. And to be honest, I think as you speak of it, we all carry it. We're all confronted with it. It, it burdens in a sense every life. But, um, yeah, what is it and what does it feel like? And, uh, I think that's the first step actually. Um, well, let's pull out the dictionary. I'm into it. Um, so, and then perhaps we can expand it. But the dictionary tells us it's a feeling of agitation and anxiety caused by present or imminent danger. Okay. It's a state marked by this feeling. Uh, it's a reason for dread or apprehension. It's a feeling of disquiet. Synonyms, I love synonyms: fear, fright, dread, terror, panic, alarm, consternation, trepidation. Um, you know, dread, that's a strong fear, especially of what one is powerless to avoid. Terror is an intense, overpowering fear. Horror is a combination of fear and aversion. Panic is a sudden, frantic fear, which often can be groundless. Alarm is fright aroused by the first realization of danger. So there's all these different shades and colors, I think, that fear can be packaged in and present itself as. Yeah. Um, and I think it's good to distinguish. And I think what your, your definition was very helpful in distinguishing, we're not talking here about the gift of fear, which is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, right? Which is like reverence or awe for God. We're talking about the fear that is like, yeah, anxiety or crippling or disturbs our peace and shakes us up. They're two different things, and I think we all know the difference of them. Amen. Yeah. Amen.
Well, I think that's, yeah, this is like the, the negative experience of, of fear, uh, that can, I think, can really be a huge part of the human experience. Um, and what do we do with it? And what is God's word to us in this? Because when you look at scripture, when you look at God's word, it is outrageous. If you look up the word fear, you see that God has spoken powerfully, intentionally, specifically. He's made promises, and he wants to be heard. Yeah. I don't know. Do you have any favorite scriptures? My first one that comes to mind is from, uh, the first letter of John, chapter 4, verse 18. He says, "There is no fear in love, you know, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has to do with punishment." Um, it's so powerful. Perfect love casts out fear. Love it. Yeah. Yeah. It's, and, and the fact that like, uh, fear cannot coexist with, with the God who is loved. It can't, you know.
Well, I love backing this up, Sister, because, whoa, perfect love casts out fear. And to think about our lives, I just again, especially when we look at fear, to think about the fact that God made me. Okay. So I didn't choose to be alive. God thought of me. He dreamed me up. He, in a sense, I've been handcrafted by him. He placed me in a family of sorts. He placed an emotional palate within me, my temperament, uh, the color of my eyes. All of this, I have been created in love, fashioned in love, made in the image and likeness of love himself, and established in that. So in and through our baptism, and I know that we've talked about this, but just to remember, this is the most important thing we can remember. And I think key as we seek to confront fear, to remember that I'm established in a covenant, one that's unbreakable, unshakable, that's impenetrable, to be honest, that's eternal. And it's in a relationship with God. God lives in me. He's the center of my life. He has placed himself at the very center, at my origin and at my destiny. Um, love. Yeah. Love himself. Love himself. And this is a good God. I think we want to make that clear because I think it's, yeah, it's like sometimes we get the idea of God as like this grumpy old man on a throne. This is a good God, so good, who is love, you know, who, who made himself, um, a little baby to tell us, "Don't be afraid of me," you know. And, and this is the God who created us, like you're saying, every, every detail of our being, and who holds us at every moment. Isn't that incredible?
Yeah. Well, and if we think about the Father's love, well, you're speaking with this little baby, a God who, right, he's not a grumpy man sitting on a throne. He's a God that descended. And what do you see in and through the Father expressing his love for all of us in and through his Son, Jesus Christ? A God who entered into our humanity, into the darkness and pain and sorrows of humanity. A God who gave of himself at every turn, um, unto the cross, total self-gift. A God who is self-bestowing, like a God who doesn't know to do anything but to love us always at every moment. It's amazing. And who gives himself to us so vulnerably and little, you know, like again, the little baby in Bethlehem, the, the man on the cross, the Eucharist, the Eucharist in our hands. This is a God. He's saying like, "Don't be afraid of me. I put myself in your power," you know, in a way. Um, and to, I mean, even Isaiah 43, which I love, he says, you know, um, "You are mine, you know. I've called you. I've called you my name. You are mine, you know. And if you walk through the rivers, you walk through fire, I'm with you. You don't have to be afraid." So love has claimed us. Exactly. Love has claimed us. Exactly.
Well, even to back that up even further, in Philippians 4:6-7, what does God tell us? It's like so powerful. "Do not be anxious about anything." Okay. That's a, that's a command. And in it through, yeah, this holy word, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God." So this is Saint Paul, you know, he's at the service of the Lord here. Um, don't be anxious about anything. Present your request to God. And what does he say when we bring our stuff, when we bring our fear, when we confront our fear, bring it to the Lord? He says, "The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." "The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." This is amazing. It is.
Well, and it's like a promise that whatever we're facing, wherever we're standing, whatever sorrow we're bearing, that peace, his gift of peace, which transcends all our understanding, that when we're standing in those places, it's the last thing we think is possible. Yeah. And yet, if we turn to God, we bring him our prayers and petitions, we stand vulnerable to him and to his action. And in a sense, we, we give him space. We surrender our thoughts, our judgments, our everything to welcome his. We will receive the gift of his peace, and we will be guarded in that peace. Yeah. Which means that's freedom from fear. It's awesome. It's love casting out my fear. It's awesome.
It's so powerful, Sister, too, that, I mean, this is Saint Paul writing this. He's saying, "Do not be anxious about anything." What happened to Saint Paul? I mean, he was shipwrecked, flogged, you know, beaten, left to die, starved. Like everything that you would be afraid of naturally as a human person, it happened to him. It happened to him. And what does he say? "Don't be anxious about anything. I've lived through it all." Well, God is with me. God is with you. We never have to be afraid. That is unbelievable. And lived it, lived life with faith. And I think we'll unpack that more. But even before we do, I think a big thing about fear and being able to confront it and name it is actually asking myself why. Like, why am I afraid? And actually, I know when I get in a spin interiorly, or I'm kind of like, I feel like I have monkeys chasing me. Um, yeah, I got that experience, right? Yeah. Like, but in a very sane way. Yeah. Yeah. And you got to turn around and be like, "What do you guys? Why are you guys? Who are you guys?" Yeah. Um, because I'm living tired. I'm living feeling chased by something. And it's almost like turning around saying like, "Yeah, and what am I afraid of? And where are they coming? Like, what am I actually hearing? Like, digging deep. Like, what really is it that I'm afraid of?" Yes. Right. So it's like, and naming some of those things. Like, am I afraid of losing something, or losing someone, or losing the respect of a person? Or am I afraid of my, um, my plans being ruined? Yeah, it really, it's true. Or like, you know, the fear of punishment, the fear of getting in trouble, or even that little gnawing fear that I think can afflict some, so many of us, but that I'm not enough, or that I'm, with the fear that I'm too much, or the fear that I'll never be enough, or the fear that I'm not good, that I'm not lovable. All these, these, um, fears about my own person, or the fear of maybe God isn't really who he says he is, you know, kind of bigger, um, bigger fears, you know, all these things, like, you know, fear what happens after I die, this fear of not being able to trust, you know, that there's a good God waiting for me, you know. And, and so I think we can be beset by a lot of different anxieties, big and little, and big and little fears. Amen. You know, and I love how you speak in the sense, the, how fear can affect us so personally, right? It can, we can, we can despair of our own goodness, of our own sense of worth, that we're worthy of being loved, that we are loved. And, yeah, it's a, it's a big one. It's a big, actually, I almost think that's almost at the root of all the major fears of life, is, is that, that fear, this, that almost a despair of what you're saying, being good enough, being loved, being worthy. Absolutely. Yeah. You know, often when I'm, I have a tight grip on life, I have to ask myself, "Gosh, what, what is threatening? What am I protecting?" You know, is it my self-image? Is it my, my sense of, of feeling worthy or valued? And realizing, mercy, um, I've already been defined, but I've, I'm resting in love. And yet, this is a hot spot, I think. Um, I don't know, where do you, where else do you find it, Sister?
I think, um, you know, I think the fear of, you know, being alone, I think there's another fear, um, being, uh, not chosen, you know, all these things. Um, yeah, being even like, I think the great prayer, the Litany of Humility, is a lot of things like, "Jesus, free me from, you know, the fear of being forgotten, the fear of being ridiculed, fear being wronged, I'm being suspected," all these things. But at the root is exactly what you're saying, is that this fear that I'm not loved and I'm not good. Yeah, it really actually all boils down to that in a way. Isn't this amazing?
Yeah. Well, and here's why we can, we can make the dare to let love cast out your fear. Because in a sense, when we allow ourselves to rest in that gaze of love, which, and, and touch that gift of love through an act of faith in God, in the living God, in a Father who loves me, in a Savior who has united himself to me, his whole life with mine, to a Spirit that is love himself, that I am wed to this. And when I can pull back from everything I like to make of life and rest in the fundamental realities and truths of God's love for me, um, I'm strengthened to confront these fears and allow them to dissolve in this love. So like an image I really love thinking about, uh, if you've seen Lord of the Rings, love Lord of the Rings. Sorry, it's just an, it's an easy place to, to just use, engage awesome images. But when they're going through the Mines of Moria and this Balrog, right, this big, really mean devil thing, right, bad, big, gross. He's just like huge. He's chasing him. Flames, flames, fire. Um, but here they are on this, right, it's like a giant abyss beneath Gandalf and this Balrog. And the rest of the fellowship has passed on. And Gandalf, and they're on this skinny piece of, you know, strip of land between these over this great abyss. And Gandalf turns around, looks this Balrog in the face, and it's, I mean, it's unforgettable. So unforgettable. He slams his staff down on the earth and he says, "You shall not pass!" "You shall not pass!" He turns around. He confronts this thing. Yeah. And yes, okay, the Balrog, they fight. Gandalf seems to be victorious. But then the Balrog pulls Gandalf into, right, the belly of the earth. But that's not the end of the game. Gandalf, he's drawn into this Paschal Mystery. Dare I say, if I shall make a spiritual analogy, I think you can. I think it's worthy, right? In a sense, he is born into new life. He, he does win the victory by confronting this fear and emerges as a new creation. And all the more free, all the more powerful, all the more he has even deeper access to the gift of who he is. But I think this is what we find when we confront our fears and saying, "Stop! Who are you? And what are you? And where are you coming from?" And, "No, actually, I'm a daughter of a king. I'm, I'm a son of the Father. And I'm loved, and I'm chosen, and I'm worthy. And, and I want to rest in that and allow these, um, these lesser, uh, qualifications to be dissolved in that love." But it, I think it requires of us, we have to look to the Father. Yeah. And, and get in contact with that love, be enlightened by his gaze of love. Yeah. And set free to live the gift of who we are. Yeah. Gives us access to who we are.
It's so true, Sister. I love what you're saying. And it's, and living in that truth, um, and that love which casts out the fear. It makes me think of a, um, a story of some of our sisters. I know a family, and every morning the father drives a little girl to school, her little daughter to school. And he gives her a pep talk every morning. Like, "Repeat after me. I am, I am a daughter of the Father. I am a daughter of the Father. I am a beautiful, loved child of God. I'm a beautiful, loved child of God." They go through the litany. And that's, it's like her little pep talk. And then once he's done, she gives him a little bit. She's like five. She's like, "Pete, after me, you know, I am a son of the Father. I'm a son of the Father." Where they like the little pep talk each other up. But it's like so beautiful because it's exactly what you're saying, living in who we are and who God is, um, and letting his love cast out that fear. And, you know, it's, I like what you're saying about the acts of faith. You know, it's like, for example, I was, when I was little, I used to be afraid of skeletons. It was like my most terrible fear: skeletons in the basement. And, and it's like, sometimes you got to go to the basement because you had to go. And, you know, it's like, I could, I could, sometimes I feel like I could see them. I'm like, "There's skeletons here." What did you do? You turn on the light, and there's no skeletons, you know. And it's like, that's, I think, kind of an image of active faith, turning on the light. And, and I think it's, you know, it's different than like the Fear Factor, whatever TV show, where if you're scared of spiders, you go like sit in a whole tub of spiders. We're not saying that. It's different. It's different. It's different. But it's actually making acts of faith. Like, what am I afraid of? Using your reason, letting love come in. And then, you know, if I'm doing this thing, just if I'm not doing this because I'm, I'm afraid actually to do it, you know, with, with courage, with God's love, um, and to not let fear have the final word, you know, because it lies about who we are, lies about who God is. It's not true. Amen.
Well, even, even a short little nugget here to echo and back up exactly what you're saying from John of the Cross. Um, he, he says, and this is a bit of a paraphrase, that in all of our needs, struggles, and difficulties, we shall find no better, no shorter way forward than prayer and the hope that God will provide in the way that he desires. So there is a surrender there. When means fail us, and we see no way of dealing with our difficulties, it only remains for us to lift our eyes to you, and that's God, so that you might provide as you see best. So it's this act of trust too. A place our hands in the hands of the Father who's loving and will care for us and will bring us to victory. But in a sense, we have to be willing to surrender to his plans. And I think that can be hard. Yeah. I remember being a senior in college and being, moving into my spring semester and having this moment of sheer panic, realizing, "Wow, after I graduate, there's no ground beneath me in a way." You know, it's been prescribed for me, right? You go to high school, then you go to college, what not. And that was a huge moment of saying, "Gosh, am I going to turn in on myself?" Which was actually terrifying. Like, "Am I going to rely on myself? It's scary." Or, "Am I going to leap in faith and say, 'Lord, lead me. Mm-hmm. Guide me. Um, what do you want?'" And having kind of a generosity to make that act of entrustment. Um, yeah. And that, that experience of panic and terror that you had in that day of like, "What is next? I don't know what to do." Surrendering that experience. And even, I think it's important to narrate reality. Like, "I'm so afraid of this. God, help me." Amen. But I love that, surrendering it and letting him win the victory. Amen.
Well, I think when we make that act of trust, we are set free to, I like the analogy of surf. Like, we can, we get on our surfboard, which is Jesus. It's going to, he's going to keep us floating. And we're able to ride the waves. Like, and I know what, as we serve in our, our various missions, like as we serve women who are facing unexpected pregnancies, or we're walking, um, with others who are riding big waves in their own life, it's like, it's as we ride those waves with Jesus, we're able to, uh, yeah, take the waves. Yeah. And dance. I mean, if you look at a mom who's taking care of four kids at home, you see her that her plans, she might have had plans at the beginning of the day, but they got scrapped. But she's going to roll with it. Yeah. And it's, I think, being willing to, to trust in the more. Yeah. In, and what God will do in any given day. Totally. And that you can, like, almost like the image of dancing in the hurricane. I guess it's not going to shut me down. Amen. You know, like these squirrels, right? Exactly. Exactly. Exactly. There is a way. There is a way, you know. Yeah. And I, I, yeah, I think it's so important to remember that. And, uh, and actually, it reminds me of the great story of, um, June 2nd, 1979, Victory Square, Warsaw, Poland. Amen. You know, where John Paul II, um, not too long after becoming Pope, went, uh, went to Poland. Um, it was again during communist times. And, uh, and I mean, the Polish people were very oppressed by, by the communist government. And John Paul II went to Poland and, um, against all predictions, you know, was celebrating Mass there in Victory Square in Warsaw with hundreds and hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people coming out for this. And the communists were cut. They were stricken with terror because they were like, "What do we do?" You know. And so they, uh, yeah, even how they filmed it was like not even showing the Pope because they were afraid of what it might do to people. But anyway, but what happened? It's like these people who were all really under the, the terror of the communist regime. And John Paul II came there, and he came as a free man, a man who knew love. And he gave this epic, uh, homily during this Mass. I mean, he said one, one great line. He says, "Today, here in Victory Square, in the capital of Poland, I'm asking with all of you that Christ will not cease to be for us an open book of life for the future, for our Polish future." And in the whole homily, he basically, it was a direct, you know, kind of, I guess, dig at the communist, but this call to freedom. Um, you know, and there's that epic line. I encourage everyone listening to look it up on YouTube. But he said, you know, "I cry. I, who I'm a son of the land of Poland, and also I'm John Paul II, I cry from all the depths of this millennium. I cry in the vigil of Pentecost, 'Let your spirit descend! Let your spirit descend and renew the face of the earth, the face of this land!'" Um, letting love come and cast out fear. And, uh, historians say that that moment was the moment that changed Poland forever. Because what, what people realized that what they had been living, I think George Weigel talks about this, was a, it was the whole communist thing was the crust of a lie. And John Paul says, can pierce the crust of the lie. And people saw beneath it that everything they were afraid of, they didn't have to be afraid of, you know. And, and that love is more true and more real. And I think it's a great image, um, for how the Lord wants to set us free, but also how we ourselves can almost live interior many cultures of the lie. Yeah. Right. How the devil can trick us into this little culture of the lie in my heart. And we can live out of this, this lie. And which is anxiety, which is fear, you know. That's the root of fear and anxiety. And Jesus wants to crumble that kingdom. Amen. Of the lie. Cast it out. Amen.
Yeah, Sister, that is so powerful. Yeah. And I think it, it's precisely as you speak, John Paul II crying out from his who he was, a son of God the Father, as the son of Poland. And in a sense, for each of us, as we are, you know, trying to buffer the anxieties or fears of each day. [Music] I think for me, and I know for others, self-possession, pulling back and saying, "Who am I?" And finding strength in that. It's almost like slowing ourselves down to the piece where we can say, "Uh, no, actually, I don't want to be bullied. I don't want to live being bullied by my fears. And I don't have to." Yeah. That's awesome, Sister. I love that. Right. And standing up for yourself. And, right, "Why am I, why do I feel like I'm living on a concentration camp inside myself?" Like, "No, no, no, no." Um, and naming those fears, "Who's chasing you?" Or, "What?" Um, and pulling back and claiming the truth, uh, that you are a beloved son or daughter of God the Father. You're loved. And that it is a love that is greater than anything. And in a sense, lifting your heart up in faith and asking that love to come. And, "What do you want to do here, Lord?" And turning that place over with an act of trust. "I really trust in you." And that's, it's a courageous act, but it's one I know I've never regretted. Yeah. And all the big and little things in my own life. Yeah.
But, wow, Sister, before we go, do you have a challenge, a thought? I would say, kind of like we talked about, but actually name next time you find yourself anxious or afraid. Take a moment to pause and really, and with Jesus, ask Jesus to come and, and actually name what you're afraid of. You know, you might find yourself, I don't know, anxious about schedule, whatever. But actually to go deep. Am I anxious about the schedule, or am I anxious about failing? I'm anxious about not being received. Go there. Go there with Jesus and name it. And then ask him to, to cast it out. So I think, yeah, just taking that particular, intentional moment of pause with Jesus next time you notice yourself anxious or afraid. That is beautiful, Sister. Yeah. Wow. I love it. Yeah. What about you before we go? What? I think, let's see here. My challenge would work to complement, I think, yours in a sense, as naming fears and simultaneous to that, um, making acts of faith. Because faith, uh, even Saint John of the Cross, among, uh, Saint John on the Cross, kick here, faith enables us to actually get into contact. That's what he speaks of. It's like through faith, hope, and love, we can touch God. It is. We can see him in new ways through the light of faith. We can see our lives in new ways. And so making acts of faith, and it could be as simple as like, "Father, I thank you for loving me," even if you don't feel it, even if you, it's a struggle to believe. "Thank you, Father, for loving me. Thank you for thinking of me. Thanking, thank you for making me." And, and see what happens. Or even, "Jesus, thank you for uniting yourself to me totally through my baptism." Wow. "Thank you." And, and actually making those acts of faith can usher in that reality more, more deeply or fully. Or, "Thank you, Holy Spirit, for your gift of peace right here. Thank you." I love that. Um, and living in this gratitude and in this expectation, a grounded, deep, and true expectation that, uh, God will provide. And, Sister, I love that especially because it's like a two-edged sword, because you can't, gratitude is another, I mean, it's an act of faith, but it's also gratitude, which fear, I feel, it cannot exist, coexist with gratitude. Isn't that powerful? Yeah, I think it's really powerful. I think it's true, Sister. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Like even when you're in the mess. Yeah. "Thank you. Thank you, um, for this opportunity to trust you, Lord." Yeah. And, yeah. Yeah. "Okay, I can't wait to see what you're going to do." Yeah. Um, so I think the Lord loves when we're bold. Yeah. And he loves our faith. And giving it opens doors and windows to him rushing in to, to be the Savior he can't wait to be. Amen.
But, wow, Sister, could you close us in a prayer? I would love to. Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Jesus, thank you so much for this time. Jesus, thank you for coming and loving us, being with us, and casting out all the fears that hold our hearts bound. Thank you for your goodness to us. Jesus, we entrust to you, um, all of our relationships, all the situations in our life, especially those that cause us anxiety or fear. Lord, you are Lord of all things, and fear cannot coexist with your love. We surrender ourselves to you. We ask for your love to reign in our hearts, to cast out our fears. We entrust ourselves and those we who may love to your heart and to the heart of Mary. And we give you glory as we pray, "Glory be to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen." Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Amen.
Thank you, Sister. Thank you. It's a gift to be with all of you. We're praying for you, lifting your intentions to the Lord, and can't wait to be with you next week. All right. See you next time. God bless you.
This was Let Love podcast for the Sisters of Life, a religious community of women consecrated for the protection of the sacredness of human life. Be assured of our prayers and learn more at sistersoflife.org.