A little something worth keeping in mind:
Mostly, we are powerless over the vagaries of life. Rather than disturbing us, that reality should help Christians embrace a daily mindset of pragmatic surrender. Yes, we are responsible for ourselves, for our families, our bodies, our neighbors. We are spirit and matter and so, to a point, material considerations do matter.
But our lives are brief (“our years are 70, 80 if we are strong” says Psalm 90), and our control is, in-part, illusory. St. Philip Neri reminds us, “All God’s purposes are to the good,” and they ultimately prove themselves to be right and just. We tend to forget that when we’re stressing over schedules, taking our every mistake to heart or letting someone else’s rudeness ruin our day.
Which is why it is good to keep a smiling skull around — to help us laugh at ourselves as we remember that all flesh goes the way of the grass that fades and the flower that withers.”
You can read it all here.
