![]() ![]() The increasing lack of disturbances in our day is a sign of God’s work in our soul. Yes, serenity is a true indicator of spiritual progress. Gratitude for the graces we have received makes jealousy and envy less possible. This is because most anger is rooted in fear, and as fear gives way to trust, the cause of much of our anger is gone. Our fears give way to a powerful experience of God’s loving providence and His capacity to make a way out of no way.Īnger and inner turmoil abates as we leave vengeance to God and are less prone to anger in the first place. We are less obsessed with what others think of us. We are increasingly untroubled when we are not praised or promoted because more and more, God’s love is enough for us, we experience it as real. The closer our walk with God and the more we experience His love for us, the more inconsequential to us is the hatred of the world, the insensitivity of others. This results from the increasing trust that faith begets. The normal Christian life is to be increasingly free from anger, anxiety, and disturbance. And the master responded, “Find out how often you become disturbed in the course of a single day.” The disciples ask the master, “Are there ways for gauging one’s spiritual strength?” “Many,” said the master. The sayings take the form of the stories of the desert Fathers but I am quite sure that they are actually modern reflections put into the older form.ġ. Let’s look at them one by one (with a little commentary by yours truly). I’m not exactly sure where I first got them, but I recently discovered them in a collection of old clippings I have from years ago. These sayings describe serenity itself (often without using the word) as well as its sources. I would like to examine four sayings that are related to serenity. It is a feeling that I know what is mine to do and what belongs to God. My own personal experience with serenity is that it is a calm, confident, peaceful joy a feeling that everything is all right, that everything is in God’s hands. ![]() So we need to seek serenity from God and receive it from Him. For the storms of life can overwhelm and overpower us. In this sense we can see how true serenity must come as a gift from God. Perhaps the closest Greek word to serenity is γαλήνη( galene=calm) and it is used most specifically to describe the incident when Jesus stood in the boat and rebuked the storm, bringing about a great calm, a serenity ( cf Matt 8:26). Serenity has become more used in modern times with the advent of many 12-Step programs, which use the Serenity Prayer as an important help to their work. By extension it thus means calm, without storm. The word comes from the Latin serenus, meaning clear or unclouded (skies). During Lent, a gift to seek is greater serenity. ![]()
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