All Will Be Well
Saintly Companions in Times of Suffering
Abbey Press
Introduction
The word companion comes from Latin roots that taken together mean “the person who shares bread with us.” Sharing a meal is an intimate act involving trust, friendship, and shared conversation about our lives. In that spirit, this collection of Caring Mentors offers help, healing, and hope during difficult times in the form of five friends and guides who come to visit and to nourish us with their wisdom.
Within these pages you’ll find wisdom distilled from the life and lessons of five saintly people who came before us: Mary of Nazareth, Julian of Norwich, Thérèse of Lisieux, Thomas Merton, and Mother Teresa. Each of these great faith-filled heroes lived, as do we, with struggles and disappointments, pain and illness, fear and uncertainty, separation and loss. They shared our common humanity, and the wisdom they gained during their lives was earned through pain and struggles similar to our own. So, we welcome them to the table of companionship, knowing they understand what we are going through.
God takes our limitations and losses and helps us transform them into healing and wholeness, indeed into the very path of our salvation. May you find hope, insight, encouragement, and light for the path forward in the simple lives and hard-earned wisdom of our five companions for the journey as they share their nourishment with us in this book.
—Silas S. Henderson
Contents
I. Mary of Nazareth: Trusting God in Difficult Times
II. Julian of Norwich: “All Will Be Well” Despite Our Suffering
III. Thérèse of Lisieux: A “Little Way” Through Suffering
IV. Thomas Merton: Dealing With Spiritual Struggles and Doubts
V. Mother Teresa: Responding to Suffering—In and Around Us
About the Author
CHAPTER I
Mary of Nazareth
Trusting God in Difficult Times
“What keeps you going?” I asked my friend Paul, who was still grieving the death of his wife to cancer when he received word that he was about to be laid off from his job. “All I can do is trust that God will see me through,” he said, “because I sure don’t see the way.”
Trust is the lantern that lights our way when darkness threatens to overcome us. When problems seem insurmountable, when challenges feel overwhelming, when the news is devastating or the outcome disappointing, we try to trust that it will all work out. When we feel abandoned or betrayed, we search for a way to trust life again. Where can we turn for guidance?
A Life Well Lived
Mary can be our guide. At every point in the New Testament where we meet Mary, we meet a woman of great trust, remarkable courage, and profound wisdom. Let’s journey through some of the key moments and circumstances of Mary’s life as told in Scripture to get an idea of how her example can help us learn to trust God in difficult times.
Unexpected news. When we receive unexpected, challenging news, as when a job or relationship ends or a loved one dies, we feel vulnerable, exposed, unprotected. This is how young Mary, betrothed but still unwed, must have felt at the Annunciation, when she received the news that she was going to bear a child. What would she tell Joseph? Her relatives? Who would believe her?
“Do not be afraid, Mary,” the angel tells her. “Nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1:30, 37). Indeed, Mary relied on God to see her through the challenges ahead.
Mary did not try to shoulder the weight of the news all alone. Luke tells us that she “hastened” to the house of her cousin Elizabeth, where she spent three months.
Consider the people in your own life who can help you accept and work with the challenges you face. Remember that God works through the people in our lives. Follow Mary’s lead and “hasten” to visit with those who can help you when you need support.
Difficult journeys. Mary and Joseph had to flee to Egypt when their lives were in danger (Matthew 2:13–23), and they had to make the difficult journey to Bethlehem late in Mary’s pregnancy to comply with a census (Luke 2:1–6). Our lives, too, are journeys, and sometimes the going gets tough. There are hazards along the way—illness, depression, loneliness—that can block our progress and keep us from happiness.