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Before I Forget…
Got Peace of Mind?
Duke University did a study on "peace of mind." They found that several factors contributed greatly to emotional and mental stability:
The absence of suspicion and resentment. Nursing a grudge was a major factor in unhappiness.
Not living in the past. An unwholesome preoccupation with old mistakes and failures leads to depression.
Not wasting time and energy fighting conditions as you cannot change. Cooperate with life, instead of trying to run away with life instead of trying to run away from it.
Force your self to stay involved with the living world. Resist the temptation to withdraw and become reclusive during periods of emotional stress.
Refuse to indulge in self-pity when life hands you a raw deal. Accept the fact nobody gets through life without some sorrow and misfortune.
Cultivate the old-fashioned virtues- love, humor, compassion and loyalty.
Find something bigger than yourself to believe in. Self-centered egotistical people score lowest in any test for measuring happiness.
As I read these factors, I thought that our sacred scriptures, especially the gospels, contain the wisdom we need for peace of mind. The Scriptures are a great gift to us. The wise and peaceful person pays attention to them, reads them, and meditates on them… after all, they are the Word of God. Do you know anybody that you would trust more than God? How can the treasure of sacred scripture make you more alive and peace-filled? Even a happier person!
We know that the scriptures teach us about God and about Jesus. Coming to know the scriptures is coming to know Jesus. This is more than an intellectual knowing of God and the Son. We need to remember that "the Scriptures" were written for our consolation! The older I get the more consoling I find the sacred scriptures of our Judeo-Christian Tradition. As your pastor, I hope that you, too, will continue to find the word of God a consolation in your life.
An immature person would possibly find our scriptures old-fashioned and loving. But a mature believer can agree with what is written in the Letter to the Hebrews, "the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword" (4:12). Sacred Scripture is really another kind of "sacrament," that is, when we spend time reading, reflecting and meditating on Scripture, it is God that we are inviting in. Does it strike as a very powerful experience that GOD would come to us? God comes to us in sacred scripture to console us, to love us. God, a very holy word, feeds us with God's own word.
Like you, I enjoy a good novel, a mystery story, an outstanding movie or a fascinating article in the paper. Sunday is always better when I can read The New York Times. But, there is a huge difference at the end of the day--nothing satisfies the soul as the Word of God does!
Don't be afraid to pick up your Bible and begin to read it… to chew the words… to eat the words. It is full of wisdom that will lead to peace of mind.
Fr. Bill
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