394th Meditation
“He who strives to conform himself to the truth and does not care so much about how people treat or esteem him, finds his serenity in God” (Blessed Henry Suso).
“Serenity in God” is the great theme of the German mystic Henry Suso. It refers to that profound peace that springs from trust in the goodness of God.
This inner peace is easily disturbed when we focus too much on people and worry excessively about how they treat us, what they will say and think of us… Thus, life becomes tense and is subjected to a lack of freedom, which can even lead to dependence. This is the problem of human respects.
But we must pay close attention to Blessed Henry’s phrase. The prerequisite on our part to attain that serenity of which he speaks is our effort to conform ourselves to the truth. This means striving to live according to the Will of our Father. When He sees our efforts, He grants us His peace and gives us the strength to remain in it. Thus, “serenity in God” arises, because, by placing our gaze on the Father, we learn to face all situations, without letting them worry us too much.
This is particularly important in our dealings with people. This in no way means that we should adopt an indifferent attitude, much less a proud one, towards others, so that we are not interested in what they do, say or think. Rather, it is about being focused on God and grounded in truth. From this perspective, our relationship with others becomes free and, in that sense, we do not worry much about how people treat or judge us.