O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! Such a seemingly simple sentence of childlike faith: O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! Yet it’s one of the most profound acts of faith. We often think that to surrender means to give up, or give in. But to surrender in a spiritual sense means to give up the things we can’t control and allow God to take the wheel. O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything. For all of us, our week has been defined by the calendars in our phone or on our fridge, the morning alarm, the relationship with a family member, friend, or coworker, the pressure of a deadline, the media, the results from a medical test, the anxiety regarding the upcoming…. whatever it is. And because we’re human beings we’re so good at figuring it all out, at making sure every detail of our lives and relationships are perfect… at being in control!... aren’t we? O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! We’re not good at it. We’re not. We forget to check the calendar, set the alarm, we often say hurtful things to loved ones or people we work with, we take advantage of situations, we let the media and current events affect our behavior and thoughts, we’re crushed by news of illness… and the loss of loved ones… and the idea of change. For me personally, and for our parish family, we were “crushed” on April 1st of this year when our beloved pastor was called home. I can’t tell you the exact time that the Surrender Novena was introduced to me, but I know that the phrase from it, “O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything” has been on my lips many, many times since that day. I’ve been praying the whole novena here and there as well but took some “time off” from it to focus on other prayers throughout the summer. This past Tuesday, however, I decided to start it up again. I thought it appropriate since it was the day the parish staff was meeting Fr. Tim Gareau for the first time. I was—we were—very excited! It's time for this… we’re ready for this… But it’s a new experience, and out of our control… and that’s always scary. O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! I’ve heard only wonderful things about Fr. Tim’s spirituality, humility, gentleness, and pastoral leadership… and even that “Fr. Krizner hand-picked him”…. Fr. Krizner was good at handpicking people. When he noticed that “Jesus part of YOU” the parish needed—that the world needed, he brought it out it the best ways for ministry, parish life, and worship. We all know, we ALL know how much Fr. Krizner loves us—all of us. He was a good shepherd to our parish and gave all he had for us until his last day. So at that “first meeting” on Tuesday, when Fr. Tim met us with a friendly greeting, warm gathering, and a gift for each of us—a copy of the “Surrender Novena” which he’d been praying these last few months on his journey to come here, I knew with all my heart that Fr. Krizner hand-picked him too (he also brought a big box of the most beautiful donuts… just sayin!). O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! There’s more to the story for another day. Today, we surrender to Jesus! And we take comfort in his care for us as a parish family and in every part of our lives! In the Gospel today, he tells us that “if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Perhaps, like me, you’ve been praying the Surrender Novena throughout the past five months, or perhaps not. But I know you’ve been praying that God would send us a good pastor, and that Fr. Krizner would intercede. And how beautiful that God has heard our prayers united and gave us Fr. Tim Gareau! How grateful we are, and we just can’t wait for you to meet him! O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! As Fr. Bob so beautifully stated last weekend, we continue forward as a team in God’s good time. On behalf of him, Deacon Scott, Lisa, Noah, Jeanette, Ed, and the rest of the gang it truly is our honor to serve the amazing people of St. Colette. O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! Fr. Tim invited the parish staff to pray the Surrender Novena with him perpetually through November 20th. By the time you read this, we’ll already be on Day 5 or 6, BUT we invite you to join us! It doesn’t matter when you start, just that you do! Continue to pray for Fr. Tim as he says goodbye to his people at St. Rapheal, and as he prepares for his ministry with us. Continue to pray for each other and our extraordinary parish family… Continue to surrender yourself to the God who only wants what’s good for you… and see how he gives us what is good! O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything!... today and always. God love you this week!~ Sara
O Jesus, I Surrender Myself to You!
