“Only in God be at rest, my soul, for from him comes my hope. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be disturbed.”

This is where God invites us to be: at rest and experiencing his peace, even with so many diversions and distractions that tempt us to feel otherwise. He doesn’t pull us kicking and screaming but instead leads us gently as we are willing. Each of us have experienced glimpses of the foundation of his love that is to be our rock, our firm foundation, and our stronghold against any attack. The question becomes are we aware of his presence and his accompanying us?

When we do find ourselves not experiencing God’s rest, it is not a call for shame on our parts either, just a reminder that we need to take some breaths, call to mind a word or phrase like, “Jesus, I Trust in you.” Or adding today’s words to our daily rhythm of prayer: “Jesus, you are my rest, my salvation, my stronghold.”

Stopping to breathe and rest also allows us to identify what may be causing us to feel anxious, disturbed, or unsettled in the first place, where before it unsettled us more unconsciously. Identifying the cause, helps us to resist the temptation to react and instead slowly settle into and renounce what is most likely the dart of a lie.

Saying an Our Father, breathing and resting are important first steps for any practice of prayer, whether going to Mass, the Rosary, Chaplet of Divine Mercy, reading, meditating, and contemplating the Bible, and even making decisions can be prayerful!

As we consciously slow down, we will begin to let go and feel the peace of God inviting us to go still deeper, to listen and to receive his own word uniquely offered for each of us, and then to abide in his love and rest there. Here is the wonderful part, it is possible to continue to experience his peace and rest in our daily activities.

It is from this foundation of abiding in God’s love that he is inviting us to dwell in today especially as we remember those who died on 9/11. As we pray for those who lost their lives and their families, we can take comfort in the fact that death does not have the final answer, Jesus does, he who conquered death and the grave. May we all open our minds and hearts and rest in his peace, assured that God is our rock foundation no matter what we face today!

Photo: View of Lake Michigan while on retreat this summer. Spending time in God’s creation can help us to experience God’s peace!

Link for the Mass readings for Monday, September 11, 2023