Letting Go... The Franciscan Challenge

A Season of Letting Go

The season of “letting go” has arrived! This month begins with a reminder of our future life in heaven with the celebration of All Saints Day. We then are reminded to let go of those we love as we celebrate All Souls Day. Letting go of those we love does not mean we forget them. We hold them in our hearts, prayers, and our treasured memories.

 As the leaves dance off the trees and fall to the ground, they show us how lovely letting go can be. As the leaves fall, they are not sad about letting go. They are making space for new leaves that will rise in spring with new life, but only if the old ones surrender and let go. As we let go, we do not change colors like the leaves, but we do change. Letting go of stuff in our lives allows us to become the person God wants us to be.

Letting Go of "Stressing Out"

Every six months when I see my oncologist, she always asks me if I allow myself to get stressed out. She reminds that stress is a risk factor for cancer. I can say my Franciscan Challenge is letting go of “stressing out.”  I jumpstart my day with praying, “O Jesus, I surrender myself totally to you. I ask you to please take care of everything” Surrender Prayer. I give all my concerns to Jesus, and I don’t take them back. I know He has my back. In Matthew 6: 25-27, Jesus addresses the uselessness of worry and reminds us how valuable we are to our heavenly Father. My mantra throughout the day is the closing of the Divine Mercy Chaplet, “Jesus, I trust in you.”