|
MARIANIST
REFLECTION
JULY 2008
|
|
FREEDOM TO MAKE CHOICES
Susan Handle
Terbay is a Lay Marianist but more importantly she is a mother. She is also
a lifelong peace activist with a son serving in Afghanistan. Sue has written
for CatholicMom.com (http://www.catholicmom.com/terbay.htm)
about many topics including the anguish of having a soldier child.
Whenever our children go about doing
their 'firsts' - either walking or riding a bike, going to school, going on
their first date, driving alone, going to college; - the list is endless,
we as moms sort of hold our breaths as they make their attempts and when
that is accomplished and they are back home or are safe, we then start to
'breathe normal' again. Now imagine having your beloved child
walk out the door and go to war and there's nothing you can do to stop
it. Your child's job is that of a soldier and you love and support
them in their effort and yet it doesn't take away the fear and uncertainty
as they leave. So you hold your breath, you pray, you continue
to hold your breath and you fight to stay functional and upbeat for
everyone else while you continue to hold your breath. You wait
forever for that door to open again and hear those beautiful words, 'hi
mom, I'm home!'
So
many mothers in the world go to bed weeping, screaming into their pillows,
sobbing with emptiness inside their souls and sometimes it feels like no
one cares, no one wants to know and it is a very lonely state of
being. Mothers are always looked to be the strength in the
family, the one who holds the family together and the one who is the source
of life. My question for everyone else is who is going to help
mothers continue to be the strength, the glue that binds the family and the
source of life when she herself finds each day a struggle.
Sue asked her
son if he would care if she spoke out against the war in Iraq. Her
son responded that she had a right to do so and, as Sue writes, he stated
"he would go to the fires of hell for me to be able to do so."
Clearly, this is a man on a mission to protect his country and the freedom
it promises.
So that we can love God freely, God has given us a free will much like Sue
has done for her son. It is God's desire that we use our free will so that
every choice we make is a choice to love God. Certainly some of our choices
are not loving and cause God anguish. God may anguish even more when we
make choices to love that put us in harms way. So how are we to chose? How
do we know God's will?
Blessed William Joseph Chaminade laid out a three prong approach to
ascertain God's will.
First
pray.
Second,
listen for what the Spirit is saying.
Third,
heed the experience of others, especially others who are not like you.
This process
will take time. But the investment in time will make you more confident
when you choose to say "Yes!"
peace and love,
aj
|