Fishing in the Sea of the Passion: Trust
“Go fishing for the jewels and pearls of all the virtues in the depth of the sea of the Passion of Christ...”
St. Paul of the Cross founded the first retreat of the Passionist Congregation on Monte Argentario, overlooking the sea. As he developed his spiritual teaching through letters of direction, he often drew of images of the sea to explain his ideas, and especially referred to Christ’s Passion as a sea of suffering and love from which we can draw out all the virtues.
No sooner has Good Friday drawn to a close than Holy Mother Church begins to anticipate the Resurrection. Holy Saturday’s liturgy is rife with psalms that speak of the confident rest of the soul who trusts in the Lord.
“I repose with perfect security on the bosom of Divine Goodness much more peacefully than does a child in the arms of its mother.”
Carl Heinrich Bloch [Public domain]
“Therefore my heart hath been glad, and my tongue hath rejoiced: moreover my flesh also shall rest in hope. Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; nor wilt then give thy holy one to see corruption.”
On this day, we are invited to stay close to Our Sorrowful Mother, pondering the promises of the Lord and the ways He has fulfilled His word throughout the history of salvation. In a quiet, prayerful spirit, tinged with the hope of the new life which dawns in the Risen Christ, we grow in trust of the loving Father’s providence.
How can I grow in my trust of God?
What are some occasions, in scripture or in my own life story, when God has been faithful to His promises?
Am I willing to be still and trust in the Lord’s timing?