Most of us Christians, I believe, worry way too much about things that have control over us, like money, relationships, slow metabolisms that cause weight gain, and so on. We think our human actions can control these worldly things, but along with performing these tasks goes the anxiety of “Are we doing enough?” Only Jesus said to be anxious for nothing, in Matthew 6:25. Why? Because if one truly trusts in the goodness of God with one’s whole heart, soul, and mind, then it’s a given that God will in turn look out for you, in EVERYTHING. Then, we can go about our real business of fighting the devil and doing God’s will. Excessive worry about earthly things diminishes our ability to do those two godly tasks. So, how do we change from being a worrier to a warrior for God? Let’s see what the saints had to say about all of this, because they certainly went through the same struggles that we go through daily. They overcame the anxieties of the world, and so can we. The quick answer for this metamorphosis is to let go and let God.
Wisdom from the Saints on Overcoming Worry
“Lay all your cares about the future trustingly in God’s hands, and let yourself be guided by the Lord just like a little child.”
– St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross“Do not look forward to what may happen tomorrow; the same everlasting Father who cares for you today will take care of you tomorrow and every day. Either He will shield you from suffering, or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace, then, put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations, and say continually: ‘The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart has trusted in Him and I am helped. He is not only with me but in me and I in Him.’”
– Saint Francis de Sales“Don’t spend your energies on things that generate worry, anxiety, and anguish. Only one thing is necessary: Lift up your spirit and love God.”
– St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina”And of what should we be afraid? Our captain on this battlefield is Christ Jesus. We have discovered what we have to do. Christ has bound our enemies for us and weakened them that they cannot overcome us unless we so choose to let them. So we must fight courageously and mark ourselves with the sign of the most Holy Cross.”
– St. Catherine of Siena“Do not have any anxiety about the future. Leave everything in God’s hands for he will take care of you.”
– St. John Baptist de La Salle“Lord, help me to live this day, quietly, easily. To lean upon Thy great strength, trustfully, restfully. To wait for the unfolding of Thy will, patiently, serenely. To meet others, peacefully, joyously. To face tomorrow, confidently, courageously.”
– St. Francis of Assisi“Pray, hope, and don’t worry. Worry is useless. God is merciful and will hear your prayer.”
– St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina“Do not be troubled or weighed down with grief. Do not fear any illness or vexation, anxiety, or pain. Am I not here who am your mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection? Am I not your fountain of life? Are you not in the folds of my mantle? In the crossing of my arms? Is there anything else you need?”
– Our Lady of Guadalupe“Do not look forward in fear to the changes in life; rather, look to them with full hope that as they arise, God, whose very own you are, will lead you safely through all things; and when you cannot stand it, God will carry you in His arms. Do not fear what may happen tomorrow; the same understanding Father who cares for you today will take care of you then and every day. He will either shield you from suffering or will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace, and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations.”
– St. Francis de Sales“Oh, if only the suffering soul knew how it is loved by God, it would die of joy and excess of happiness! Some day, we will know the value of suffering, but then we will no longer be able to suffer. The present moment is ours.”
– St. Faustina“Live in faith and hope, though it be in darkness, for in this darkness God protects the soul. Cast your care upon God for you are His and He will not forget you. Do not think that He is leaving you alone, for that would be to wrong Him.”
– St. John of the Cross”Who except God can give you peace? Has the world ever been able to satisfy the heart?”
–St. Gerard Majella“My Jesus, if you uphold me, I shall not fall.”
– St. Philip Neri“The secret to happiness is to live moment by moment and to thank God for what He is sending us every day in His goodness.”
– St. Gianna Molla“Live in faith and hope, though it be in darkness, for in this darkness God protects the soul. Cast your care upon God for you are His and He will not forget you. Do not think that He is leaving you alone, for that would be to wrong Him.”
– St. John of the Cross
Wisdom from the Saints on Being a Warrior
Moreover, Christians are born for combat, whereof the greater the vehemence, the more assured, God willing, the triumph: ‘Have confidence; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
–Pope Leo XIII“You must ask God to give you power to fight against the sin of pride which is your greatest enemy – the root of all that is evil, and the failure of all that is good. For God resists the proud. The most powerful weapon to conquer the devil is humility. For, as he does not know at all how to employ it, neither does he know how to defend himself from it.”
–Saint Vincent de Paul“God has fashioned and shaped only one enmity, and that an irreconcilable one, which will endure and even increase, until the end: It is that between the Virgin Mary and the Devil, between the children and servants of the Blessed Virgin and the children and accomplices of Satan; so that the most terrible of the enemies of Satan created by God is Mary, his Blessed Mother.”
— St. Louis de Montfort“Men do not fear a powerful, hostile army as much as the powers of hell fear the name and protection of Mary.”
— St. Bonaventure“With the Name of Jesus we shall overcome the demons; we shall put them to flight. With this name, though they may sometimes dare to attack us, our battles will be victories, and our victories will be crowns for heaven, all brilliant with precious stones.”
— St. John Vianney“The strategy of our Adversary can be compared to the tactics of a commander intent upon seizing and plundering a position he desires. The leader of an army will encamp, explore the fortifications and defenses of the fortress, and attack at the weakest point. In the same way, the Adversary of our human nature examines from every side all our virtues: theological, cardinal, and moral. Wherever he discovers the defenses of eternal salvation to be the weakest and most lacking, there he attacks and tries to take us by storm.”
— St. Ignatius Loyola“Vigorously check the inclination to sadness. Even though you may seem to do everything coldly, sadly, and without fervor, go on all the same. For the enemy would gladly enfeeble our good works by sadness; and when he finds that we will not discontinue them, and that they are all the more meritorious through resistance, he will cease to annoy us.”
— St. Francis de Sales“Great courage is required in spiritual warfare.”
–St. Theresa of Avila“Draw near to God, and Satan will flee from you.”
— St. Ephraem the Syrian“However great may be the temptation, if we know how to use the weapon of prayer well, we shall come off as conquerors at last, for prayer is more powerful than all the demons. He who is attacked by the spirits of darkness needs only to apply himself vigorously to prayer, and he will beat them back with great success.”
— St. Bernard of Clairvaux”Do not oppose head-on the thoughts that the Enemy sows in your mind. Instead, cut off all conversation with them by prayer to God.”
— St. Isaak of Syria“In the Eucharist, Christ has given to those who desire Him the ability not only to see Him, but even to touch Him, eat Him, fix their teeth in His flesh, and embrace Him, to satisfy all their love. For this reason, we must return from that Table like lions breathing fire, having become terrifying to the Devil. We must be thinking about Christ our Head, and about the love He’s shown to us.”
–St. John Chrysostom“The way to overcome the Devil when he excites feelings of hatred for those who injure us is to pray immediately for their conversion.”
— St. John Vianney“The principal trap that the Devil sets for young people is idleness. This is a fatal source of all evil. Do not let there be any doubt in your mind that we are born to work, and when we don’t, we’re out of our element and in great danger of offending God. First tell the Devil to rest, and then I’ll rest, too.”
— St. John Bosco“Humility is the only virtue no demon can imitate.”
— St. John Climacus“We crush the head of the Serpent when we scorn and trample underfoot the glory of the world, the praises, the vanities, and all the other pomps of pride.”
— Blessed Marie of the Incarnaion”If you are able to fast, you will do well to observe some abstinence beyond what is enjoined by the Church. For in addition to the ordinary benefits of fasting—namely, lifting up the mind, subduing the flesh, strengthening virtue, and earning an eternal recompense—it is a great matter to be able to command our tastes and inclinations, and to keep the body and its appetites subject to the law of the spirit. And even if we do not fast to any great extent, Satan is the more afraid of those who, he is aware, know how to fast.”
— St. Francis de Sales“Doing penance for one’s sins (after Confession) is a first step towards obtaining forgiveness and winning eternal salvation. That is the clear and explicit teaching of Christ, and no one can fail to see how justified and how right the Catholic Church has always been in constantly insisting on this. She is the spokesman for her divine Redeemer. No individual Christian can grow in perfection, nor can Christianity gain in vigour, except it be on the basis of penance.”
— Pope St. John XXIII
Summary
The saints give us the answers to stop worrying and to start being a warrior for God’s Kingdom: complete trust in Jesus to help us, to convert us, to take care of us, and to save us. His name, along with Mary’s, is very powerful. The sacraments of confession and the Eucharist give us the graces we need to fight for His Kingdom. Fasting on a regular basis, praying and reading the scriptures daily, and going to Mass often will chase the devil away. Guard your senses all the time, and when tempted, pray (or sing a hymn). When anxious, breathe in deeply saying “Je,” and breathe out saying “sus.” Repeat as necessary! Heaven awaits us all if we do these things.
