Laughing at our Anxieties

 "I should like you to be free of anxieties." 1 Cor 7:32

Several years ago I led a retreat for about fifty Dominican Sisters of Sparkill, a well know community in New York. Some of the sisters live independently, some are in assisted living and others are in nursing care. Naturally, some of the sisters have more anxieties than others. Those wondering whether they will soon need nursing care suffer a lot with the prospect of losing even more independence and freedom, but there is one symbol here that we all had a good laugh about.

The doors between buildings and those that open to common rooms like the dining room are automatic. Step on the mat and the doors open magically. On the second day of the retreat, I mused aloud that the pearly gates would be surely automatic doors for women like them who had been so faithful to the Gospel. Perhaps that is the vision Paul had for his communities when he told them he wanted them to be free of anxiety!

Today, no matter your anxieties, put yourself in God's hands.

Does your faith help you with your anxieties?