The associated reading for this reflection can be found in your Every Sacred Sunday Mass journal or online here.
My sister and I used to fight in the car when we were kids. During one particular fight, my dad told us to stop bickering, but our conflict continued. I don’t remember what we were even fighting about, but I was definitely feeling angry. After telling us again to stop fighting with no avail, my dad put on the Catholic radio station. The rosary was being recited, so he said we were all going to pray the rosary together. So, we reluctantly stopped our fight to pray. As we said Hail Mary after Hail Mary with a few Our Fathers and Glory Bes sprinkled in, I felt my anger start to melt away. When the rosary ended, not only was my frustration gone, but I was left with a deep sense of peace I had never experienced before. I still vividly remember looking out the window on the way home, seeing the beautiful countryside, and feeling peace that could only come from prayer. This rosary, this prayer to Jesus, God, and Our Lady, was deeply impactful for me.
Today’s second reading is so special: it focuses on the deep peace achieved from prayer like I experienced that day two decades ago. The phrases “the God of peace” and “the peace of God that surpasses all understanding” strike me deeply, so much so that we used this reading at our wedding. I am continuously amazed at how God gives us this peace through our vocation and through prayer. Life has a lot of challenges, sufferings, and difficulties, but with prayer at the center we will have God’s peace with us through it all. Remembering the peace given to me in childhood has helped me to lean on prayer in my life today, through the good and the bad. Thank you, Lord, for the gift of Your peace.
Dear Lord,
Thank You for Your generosity. Thank You for giving us the gift of prayer to communicate with You. Please fill us with Your joy, Your goodness, and Your peace in all circumstances. Let the peace of God that surpasses all understanding permeate our lives. Amen.
Emily is a Catholic middle school Theology and language arts teacher. She obtained her Master’s degree from the Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity and loves living out her faith. Emily enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, and country music.
