In the interval since I last wrote on the Symphony of Suffering, God has
placed upon my heart several thoughts upon which I've contemplated.
One of these is the eternal, unending praise given to the Most Blessed
Trinity by the hosts of heaven-angels and saints.
Have you ever thought what this eternal symphony must sound like? You see,
we cannot fathom this, because our minds our finite and cannot grasp the
infinite, unless God gives us the mystical grace to do so. Therefore, we
find it extraordinarily boring to think that for all eternity there's going
to be this infinite song being given to God.
For example, do the nine choirs of angels take turns praising God?
Perhaps on Sunday it's the Seraphim who praise God; on Monday, the
Cherubim, and so on. Do the saints who died as martyrs have their own
special turn? What about the virgins? What about religious? What about
lay people? Do they clock in, taking their allotted time from, say, eight
in the morning until eight at night, and then another group takes over?
That's pretty much how we'd arrange it on earth. We'd do it in shifts.
Doing things in "shifts" isn't what God wants from any of us. We can
never say we've done our share, given out our "share" of time allotted to
praising God, trusting that someone else is due on the job, and we can just
go and relax, entertain ourselves fully, and leave the "symphony" in
someone else's hands. It doesn't work like that.
God, the Eternal, the Almighty, The Author of All Life, expects and
deserves this praise from all His creation, both in Heaven and on earth.
We can be certain that in Heaven there are none that seek a respite from
this "symphony". However, on earth we can be certain that we, His
children, do not do our share. When we don't do our share, then the
symphony is incomplete, and the chords and melody are strained. We "hear"
that unmelodic symphony when we are beset by troubles and sorrows and find
our souls grumbling, our wills straining against obedience to God, and our
charity toward our fellow men flying out the window along with a few
expletives we've thrown in, just for good measure.
What we are supposed to do is continue the Heavenly Symphony here in our
earthly sojourn. We're supposed to sing God's praises constantly, no
matter the situation, no matter the time of day. Impossible, you say?
Impossible when you're madly driving down the interstate, late for work,
with the cellular phone ringing, and another problem arising even before
you have exited the fast lane. Impossible when the bank account doesn't
balance, the cost of living outweighs your paycheck, when the kids ask and
demand more and more "things" for which you only find yourself working
harder and longer hours. Impossible when, finally, late at night, you
tumble into bed without a thought for God and sleep, only to arise and go
through the entire hectic process the next day?
The Symphony of Suffering, in which we are engaged, does not have time or
space. It is not joined to the bank account, the kids' demands, or your
own drive to live the "good life" of material goods. What the Symphony of
Suffering does demand, and rightly so, is that each one of us, at all
times, ponder God, talk to God, love God, trust God, and turn to Him in all
things. The Symphony of Suffering joins with the Heavenly Symphony only
when we put on Christ each and every day, and mean it! When we put on
Christ, we invite Him, the only begotten Son of God, to come with us
through every moment of the day, so that we can converse with Him, and He
with us. It's trusting in God so much with expectant faith that even when
you put your head on the pillow at night, you entrust your soul to God and
ask your guardian angel not only to watch over you, but to continue your
prayer of praise to God while your body rests. You don't think your
guardian angel would do that? I do. I believe this. I trust this. I do
it every morning, and every night.
It's not a boring, tedious, laundry-list of things that I say to God, or
to my guardian angel. It's as simple as "Good morning, God. Thank You for
this day. Be with me, please!" And off you go, to whatever duties you
have that day. It's as simple as "Good night, God. I am so sorry for all
the offenses I committed this day, because I love You. I want to praise
You throughout the night, so my angel will bring my soul to You as I rest."
You can make it even shorter. The "Our Father" is a perfect prayer upon
rising and before going to sleep. It's a sigh, a lifting up of the heart
and soul, and willing to be part of the Symphony of Suffering that make
such beautiful music for God!
Sure, the major part of the Symphony comes from the trials of each day,
full of tears and sorrows and pains and aches and worries and concerns.
It's in the expectant faith, the fullness of trust that, in God's time,
your part in the Symphony of Suffering becomes joy forever in the Eternal
Symphony that is Heaven!
As we wind down the month of July, dedicated to the Most Precious Blood of
Jesus Christ, let us ponder upon this continuos symphony that belongs to
God alone. Then, let us ask ourselves if we contribute to the Heavenly
Symphony by our humility and obedience, or if we're adding discordant notes
to a symphony that comes from God's enemy and ours - satan!
Let us pray that all will prefer to join in the Heavenly Symphony by the
will of the heart and soul which seeks God alone, and let us ignore the
discordant symphony of satan's confusion and doubt. That's his problem…not
ours!
Peace will come, my friends, when we are part of the true symphony that is
God's Perfect Love.