While I was working on another article, I realized an important part of my world has to happen every day. I spend 20-30 or more minutes each morning in meditation, prayer, contemplation, and relaxation to start the day. If I don’t, then everything begins to spiral into worry and frustration when things aren’t as clearly defined.
For example, yesterday, I had to make a big decision. As the weekend crept in, the anxiety that I would be making a mistake in whatever decision I made began to rise up. I was afraid that I would miss the correct choice and ultimately lose in the end. I didn’t do the full 20-30 minutes because the recording I used for meditation was blocked with the ridiculous message of “Sign in to confirm you’re not a bot”…which, as most of us know by now, bots have their own accounts, so what’s the real point of the block? So I spent the rest of the day trying to find an alternative way to access those audios, only finding myself getting more and more agitated.
Then, this morning I realized I’d forgotten my most important part of my morning routine. The Surrender Prayer.
So I wanted to share it with you. It’s a 9 day Novena, which breaks down the prayer into bite sized pieces that take a few minutes each. Every time I use it, it targets the very thing I am struggling with. It is my alternative to the Jesus Prayer, which is commonly used among the Orthodox Christians, and, for me, a more positive reminder to let go and let God handle everything.
A little background…
The story goes that Father Dolindo Ruotolo (1882-1979), an Italian priest from Naples, authored the short prayer and novena. Renowned for his endurance of suffering, healing miracles, and hidden holiness, he was highly regarded. He was alleged to be St. Padre Pio’s Spiritual Counselor for a time. And Padre Pio himself considered Father Ruotolo to be a saint.
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Yet, despite his holiness, Dolindo humbly described himself simply as “Mary’s little old man.”
When you read the words of this Novena, especially in light of what is going on in the world today, I think that much of it will inspire you to let God be in charge of it all. We get all too caught up trying to “fix” our surroundings, including our income, our health, our temper, our computers…the evil things that they are, especially when they misbehave when you’re on a deadline. It only drives us away from the present and into fear of the unknown. But it is the present alone that is in touch with the eternal now…so let the rest go.
May this serve as a reminder to each of us that we aren’t in control of what is going on. God is. It is hard to go through the trials and sufferings, but this serves to help us refocus back to the One in charge. In the end, He will sort it all out. Remember the words of St. Paisios:
Don’t give in to panic. Cowards are of use to no one. God looks at a person’s situation and helps him… No matter what happens, we must continue to pray, think and act. It’s best to always stand up to a difficult situation using spiritual means. However, that spiritual boldness which is born of holiness and striving towards God is missing today, as is the natural boldness needed in order not to turn coward in the face of danger.
In order to hold back a great evil, great holiness is needed…In the spiritual life the biggest coward can attain great courage by entrusting himself to Christ and His divine help…A person becomes fearless to the extent he unites with God.
For me, it must become my anchor. This world produces only increasingly hostile encounters between people, and visages of huge storms on the horizon are emerging. I must remember that I do not control the world – only my response to it. And surrendering is the best response I can give.
May it help along your uncertain journey as the waves seem to grow taller with each passing day.
God bless!
Here is the Surrender novena…
Print it out and keep it visible so you can pray it, especially in your own uncertain times:
Day 1
Why do you confuse yourselves by worrying? Leave the care of your affairs to me and everything will be peaceful. I say to you in truth that every act of true, blind, complete surrender to me produces the effect that you desire and resolves all difficult situations.
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! (10 times)
Day 2
Surrender to me does not mean to fret, to be upset, or to lose hope, nor does it mean offering to me a worried prayer asking me to follow you and change your worry into prayer. It is against this surrender, deeply against it, to worry, to be nervous and to desire to think about the consequences of anything.
It is like the confusion that children feel when they ask their mother to see to their needs, and then try to take care of those needs for themselves so that their childlike efforts get in their mother’s way. Surrender means to placidly close the eyes of the soul, to turn away from thoughts of tribulation and to put yourself in my care, so that only I act, saying, “You take care of it.”
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! (10 times)
Day 3
How many things I do when the soul, in so much spiritual and material need, turns to me, looks at me and says to me, “You take care of it,” then closes its eyes and rests. In pain you pray for me to act, but that I act in the way you want. You do not turn to me, instead, you want me to adapt to your ideas. You are not sick people who ask the doctor to cure you, but rather sick people who tell the doctor how to. So do not act this way, but pray as I taught you in the Our Father: “Hallowed be thy Name,” that is, be glorified in my need. “Thy kingdom come,” that is, let all that is in us and in the world be in accord with your kingdom. “Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven,” that is, in our need, decide as you see fit for our temporal and eternal life. If you say to me truly: “Thy will be done,” which is the same as saying: “You take care of it,” I will intervene with all my omnipotence, and I will resolve the most difficult situations.
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! (10 times)
Day 4
You see evil growing instead of weakening? Do not worry. Close your eyes and say to me with faith: “Thy will be done, You take care of it.” I say to you that I will take care of it, and that I will intervene as does a doctor and I will accomplish miracles when they are needed. Do you see that the sick person is getting worse? Do not be upset, but close your eyes and say, “You take care of it.” I say to you that I will take care of it, and that there is no medicine more powerful than my loving intervention. By my love, I promise this to you.
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! (10 times)
Day 5
And when I must lead you on a path different from the one you see, I will prepare you; I will carry you in my arms; I will let you find yourself, like children who have fallen asleep in their mother’s arms, on the other bank of the river. What troubles you and hurts you immensely are your reason, your thoughts and worry, and your desire at all costs to deal with what afflicts you.
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! (10 times)
Day 6
You are sleepless; you want to judge everything, direct everything and see to everything and you surrender to human strength, or worse—to men themselves, trusting in their intervention—this is what hinders my words and my views. Oh, how much I wish from you this surrender, to help you; and how I suffer when I see you so agitated! Satan tries to do exactly this: to agitate you and to remove you from my protection and to throw you into the jaws of human initiative. So, trust only in me, rest in me, surrender to me in everything.
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! (10 times)
Day 7
I perform miracles in proportion to your full surrender to me and to your not thinking of yourselves. I sow treasure troves of graces when you are in the deepest poverty. No person of reason, no thinker, has ever performed miracles, not even among the saints. He does divine works whosoever surrenders to God. So don’t think about it any more, because your mind is acute and for you it is very hard to see evil and to trust in me and to not think of yourself. Do this for all your needs, do this, all of you, and you will see great continual silent miracles. I will take care of things, I promise this to you.
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! (10 times)
Day 8
Close your eyes and let yourself be carried away on the flowing current of my grace; close your eyes and do not think of the present, turning your thoughts away from the future just as you would from temptation. Repose in me, believing in my goodness, and I promise you by my love that if you say, “You take care of it,” I will take care of it all; I will console you, liberate you and guide you.
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! (10 times)
Day 9
Pray always in readiness to surrender, and you will receive from it great peace and great rewards, even when I confer on you the grace of immolation, of repentance, and of love. Then what does suffering matter? It seems impossible to you? Close your eyes and say with all your soul, “Jesus, you take care of it.” Do not be afraid, I will take care of things and you will bless my name by humbling yourself. A thousand prayers cannot equal one single act of surrender, remember this well. There is no novena more effective than this.
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! (10 times)