Finding God in troubled times


Finding God in troubled times

Cl. Mario D’Couto sdb

            Serenity is another word for calmness, composure and so on. When I began to reflect on what exactly this virtue was, I began to realize that it is easy to keep calm and cool when everything is going on alright. The challenge comes when we are faced or confronted by difficulties and problems.
            In the Church, we have so many saints who have borne witness to this fact like St. Francis of Assisi, Heinrich Suso and others. Among them I would like to highlight one incident that I came across when I read the life of Heinrich Suso. This incident is one which has been cited by many scholars in mysticism. It is known as the “Tower Experience”. Once it so happened that some of his colleagues wanted to find whether Suso was really calm and composed as he seemed. They paid a woman to accuse Suso to his provincial of having committed adultery with her. The superior believed the accuser and ordered him to be whipped and had him locked up in a wretched dungeon. One day, looking down from a tiny window in his prison, Suso saw a little dog playing with a rag. The dog tossed the rag in the air and then caught it again and went on joyfully hoping about. Suddenly, Heinrich felt his heart grow warm: “If you are the one, Lord, who is playing with me as that dog plays with the rag, then just keep on playing!” from that point on, he was engulfed by a sense of serenity that never left him.
            In believing trust, serene persons look upon suffering and unpleasantness in the light of the faith in the Resurrection and Providence of our Lord Jesus Christ. They are so penetrated by the spirit of gratitude and praise that nothing can rob them of their tranquil serenity or inner peace. 

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