Meditation for August 3, Useless Fretting

A certain man stricken by ill health made much ado about it, pitying himself considerably because blindness seemed inevitable. But it was not his sight God asked of him; it was rather his life, because he died shortly after the accident which injured his eyes. Thus his last days were darkened by worry over an evil which never happened to him. Would he not have done better to abandon himself completely to Providence and spend those days which were actually to be the last of his existence, in peace rather than poison them as he did, according to his fancy?

On a very narrow mountain path there was once a group of ad­venturesome travelers, who after having made quite a risky climb to an observatory they had believed easy to reach, were climbing down very unsteadily, their hands against the side of the mountain, their backs to the abyss below them. One thing only, concerned them, to avoid dizziness so as not to tumble over the abrupt descent against which the slippery path was but small protection. On the winding road above them another much livelier crowd was descend­ing the mountain. On their way down alas, they dislodged a stone that went bounding from slope to slope, The falling stone might easily have struck the most fearful of the frightened ones below, a fatal blow on the head. But she was overcome by fear of the precipice she saw opened at her side, whereas the real danger was from above, only she did not know it.

There is a good lesson in this. There is plenty of time to become saddened at an infirmity or a danger when it arrives. While waiting what is the good of fussing? Let Providence act according to His pleasure. After having taken the necessary precautions, let us not live in constant dread of evils which will never befall us. This is just plain common sense; it is also supernatural faith and confidence. Let us say in a general way the Deliver us from evilof the Our Father without trying to make in advance a catalogue of possible dangers which might threaten us. There is only one true evil, sin; all the rest can work good for those who love.
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Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)