WHAT  DO  YOU  WORRY  ABOUT?

What do you worry about? What makes you anxious? Do you wake in the middle of the night fretful and in dread?  Many of us do.  Although we believe in God we are subject to the curse of fear, anguish and anxiety.  We tend to console ourselves with the thought that we can't help it and it's only human. Indeed, it is only human but help it we can or, to be more precise, God can.

We don't tend to see worry and anxiety as sinful or wrong. We see it as simply just part and parcel of being human and caring - if we didn't care, we wouldn't worry, goes the refrain. There is some truth in this, of course. Who doesn't worry about their children or grandchildren? Who doesn't succumb to the anxieties of life? God knows we all do, but what if God didn't want us to? What if God wanted us to know a living sense of his presence and offer up all our worry and anxiety to him?

The truth is, freedom from worry and anxiety is a birthright of our baptism. Sir Winston Churchill said: "When I look back on all these worries I remember the story of the old man who said on his death bed that he had had a lot of trouble in life, most of which never happened". The Holy Spirit can help us write a book called How to stop worrying and start living.

So how do we set ourselves free from the tyranny of worry and start living in the power of the Spirit? The first thing we need to do is study and reflect on the Word of God. Try this verse for a starter: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God" [Phil. 4:6 NIV]. Here we have the first step towards not being weighed down by anxiety: offer it up to the Lord. Have you noticed how this instruction from Paul comes with a promise? "And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" [Phil. 4:7 NIV]

Lord, I repent for all of my worry and anxiety and turn to you, laying down all my burdens. By your grace fill me with the peace of Christ which will transcend and surpass my understanding. Amen
[ Taken from reading on June 18th 2016 from Bible alive]

ST ALPHONSUS LIGUORI

St Alphonsus Liguori [1696-1787] Bishop, founder of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer [Redemptorists] and Doctor of the Church. Born into a noble family in the kingdom of Naples, Alphonsus was a child prodigy, receiving his Doctorate in Law from the university of Naples by the age of 16. Practising law by the age of 21, he was one of Naples' leading lawyers. Publicly humiliated in a high profile case, Alphonsus turned his back on the legal profession, and on hearing an interior voice inviting him to leave the world, resolved to follow a religious vocation. Ordained priest in 1726, Alphonsus laboured for six years preaching in missions throughout Naples.

In 1732 he founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, dedicated to the service of the Redeemer and the most abandoned souls, through missions, spiritual exercises and renewals, with houses established in England [1848] and Ireland [1853]

FROM A TALK BY ST ALPHONSUS
"To Live well, To Love God....... In order always to live well, we must store up deeply in our minds certain general maxims about eternal life: Everything in this life, whether it be joy or sorrow, passes away, but in eternity nothing passes away. What good is all the greatness of this world at the hour of death? All that comes from God, whether it be adverse or prosperous, all is good and is for our own welfare. We must leave all to gain all. There is no peace to be found without God. To love God and save one's soul is the one thing necessary. We need be afraid of nothing but sin. If God is lost, all is lost.  He who desires nothing in this world is master of the whole world. He who prays is saved, and he who does not pray is lost."