These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled.(Lk 24:44).
God is good!
One lesson the resurrection teaches is about worrying less and praying more. We notice this in how Jesus acknowledged before the frightened disciples that “everything written about me in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled.”
Jesus knew that he had come to do the will of the Father, which he could not change. So , when grief and anxiety about imminent rejection, humiliation, and death came over him, he
prayed
, My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.
What he meant in that prayer was that "I accept what I can't change because it is out of my control. And I will focus on what is in my control." So, he mustered strength to endure the agony of the cross because it was in his control.
Barrage of concerns besiege us — concerns about family, health, work, possible losses, personal struggles, and political and economic issues. As some of these may be part of our “circle of concern,” which are out of our control, we are not to focus excessively on them to increase our anxieties.
The Lord's acknowledgment that everything written about him should be fulfilled sheds light on this beautiful serenity prayer:
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
Life will be more meaningful and enduring if we can accept this resurrection less to worry less and pray more.
Prayer: A morning prayer: Father, creator of unfailing light, give that same light to those who call to you. May our lips praise you; our lives proclaim your goodness; our work give you honor, and our voices celebrate you forever.