Faith Wilting a Bit?

Daytime Prayer for this feast of St. Anne & Joachim  had a seasonally appropriate image that I’d like to share:
Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose hope is the Lord.
He is like a tree planted beside the waters that stretches out its roots to the stream:
It fears not the heat when it comes,its leaves stay green;
In the year of drought it shows no distress, but still bears fruit.
Watching the leaves on my trees folding up to conserve their moisture, and my potted porch plants wilting in our current Northeast heatwave, it’s easy to appreciate Jeremiah’s analogy for doubt and fear vs. trust in God. We all have times when we doubt God’s goodness, or providence,  or even His existence. Or we see the Church under assault from within and without and wonder…will the Church really last to the end as Jesus promised? Is it possible we’ve all been fooled into believing myths spun around a Galiliean teacher who was just that, but no more?
And then, in times of pain, there’s always…”how can a loving  God permit etc,,etc.?”
We all  feel that way now and then. Sometimes for only a fleeting moment. Other times, for a longer period. We don’t  exactly lose faith.But we do start to wilt a bit.
The thing to do is stretch out our roots a bit closer to that stream. Acts of Faith.  An extra rosary. Fortifying spiritual reading. Read the Divine Office very attentively so as not to miss anything God is trying to show us through its words. Above all–get to the Eucharist right away, not waiting  for next Sunday to roll around.
All these things are the sources of living water for our spirits.
Start stretching.

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Daria Sockey is a freelance writer from western Pennsylvania. Her articles have appeared in many Catholic publications. She authored several of the original Ignatius Press Faith and Life catechisms in the 1980s, and more recently wrote five study guides for saints' lives DVDs distributed by Ignatius Press. She now writes regularly for the newly revamped Catholic Digest. Her newest book, The Everyday Catholic's Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours, will be published by Servant Books this spring. Feel Free to email her at [email protected]

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