Fr. Ryan Lerner, Chaplain
A while back I wrote a Running on Faith reflection about a ritual and prayer routine I would do the night before a race – praying the Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet, sprinkling my racing shoes with Holy Water, safety-pinning little medallions of key saints to the inside of the waistband of my shorts…you get the picture.
Although the prayer routine and ritual have changed over time for me, the most important part has always remained—prayerfully visualizing the race ahead, the distance, the conditions, the complexity of the course, the elevation changes, the potential hazards, how I would handle pain and fatigue all the while preparing for the unexpected.
I was recently reminded of the importance of visualizing the road ahead when I read a section from The Introduction to the Devout by St. Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (and whose feast we celebrated on Tuesday). In a section some have referred to as the “Five Steps to [a] Good Morning,” St. Francis offers us a practical and spiritual routine for starting each day. His routine helps us to carry out our daily responsibilities while also asking us to see all that happens throughout the day as an expression of, or an opportunity to discern, God’s will for us. Here they are:
(1) Ask: “We will invoke the help of God… [and] ask Him to make us worthy to spend the day with Him without offending Him.”
(2) Look ahead: Now that we have begun in prayer and have placed ourselves in God’s presence, we visualize “all that could happen during the course of the day. Thus, with the grace of Our Lord, we will wisely and prudently anticipate occasions which could take us by surprise.”
(3) Plan of Action: Now that we have visualized all that could happen, and even considered what unexpected things that could unfold throughout the day, “we will carefully plan and seek out the best means to avoid any faults. We will also arrange in an orderly fashion what, in our opinion, is proper for us to do.” How might our comings and goings, encounters with others, surprises, mistakes and even disappointments be opportunities for us to grow in virtue and avoid falling into sin, despair or apathy?
(4) Resolution: “We will make a firm resolution to obey the will of God, especially during the present day.” No excuses, wishful thinking, halfhearted or nice ideas here – rather, with God’s help, and having planned for how we will move through the day, we resolve to stick to the plan and make God’s will our own.
(5) Entrustment: Now that we’ve done all that we can do to make this a good day, we give ourselves over to God’s loving providence, and “we will entrust ourselves and all our concerns into the hands of God’s eternal goodness and ask him to consider us as always so commended.”
Ask. Look. Plan. Resolve. Trust. A great way to look ahead and plan for the day, the month and the semester to come. And if you need a little more help in your preparation, perhaps the prayerful words of St. Francis de Sales will further guide you:
Be at peace.
Do not look forward in fear to the changes of life;
rather look to them with full hope as they arise.
God, whose very own you are, will deliver you from out of them.
He has kept you hitherto, and He will lead you safely through all things;
and when you cannot stand it, God will bury you in his arms.
Do not fear what may happen tomorrow;
the same everlasting Father who cares for you today
will take care of you then and every day.
He will either shield you from suffering, or give you unfailing strength to bear it.
Be at peace, and put aside all anxious thoughts and imagination.
