Do you find yourself worrying more than you pray?

My brothers and sisters in Christ,

Do you find yourself worrying more than you pray? Be honest—how much of your day is consumed by worry? How much of it is spent dwelling on yesterday, last week, last month, last year, or even ten or twenty years from now? In other words, are the events of the past—whether from a week ago, a month ago, or decades ago—still haunting you?

Scripture tells us plainly: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6).

My brothers and sisters in Christ, don’t you see? How much of your day is lost to yesterday? Do you believe in the prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11)? Do you trust in the Our Father? Then why do we choose to walk through life looking backward, fixated on what we did or what was done to us a week, a year, or even ten years ago? The good Lord desires for us to move forward, trusting in His plan, yet you and I often choose to carry the burdens of the past.

The devil seeks to trap you either in yesterday, the day of regrets, or in tomorrow, the day of worries. He aims to pull you out of the present moment. Jesus Himself reminds us: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34).

Consider this: for those who have hurt you, despised you, or wronged you—do you really want to stand in their place on Judgment Day? Why, then, do you allow them to steal your peace, even twenty, thirty, or forty years later? Our Lord warns: “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you” (Matthew 6:14). As Mother Teresa of Calcutta wisely said, people may be unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered, but you must forgive them anyway. If you don’t, their actions will continue to ruin your day.

The devil uses your thoughts to derail you. Three can place thoughts in your mind: the Father, you, and the enemy. Satan uses your past to turn you away from walking forward in faith. If he cannot trap you with your past, he will try to ensnare you with fears about the future. But the mere fact that you are here is proof that, despite your worries, you are called to leave them at the Cross. “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

Bring them to the Altar, receive Him, and leave them there. Do not carry them back to your pew. And for the love of God, if you walk out of those church doors with the same worries you brought in, you’ve forgotten that He is God, and we are not. You’ve forgotten that this is His House.

My brothers and sisters in Christ, I’m pleading with you—do not let the devil’s hatred for you prevail. The mere mention of your name causes him to recoil, for you are made in the image and likeness of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ (Genesis 1:27). His sole mission is to torment your life. Do not walk out of those church doors carrying the same worries you brought in. Come to the Altar rail, leave your burdens with Him, and when the devil tries to place those worries back in your mind—whether later today, this evening, or tomorrow—give them back to the good Lord. Call on Him, call on our Savior, and call on His Blessed Mother by name. “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Soon, he will tire of hearing Their names.

If you want to test your memory, think back one year from today. What were you worried about? That is the measure of how fleeting your worries are. Understand this: all things come through Him. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him” (Romans 8:28). Nothing comes to your door that He does not allow, and if He brings you to it, He will bring you through it.

My brothers and sisters in Christ, I beg you—stop worrying and trust in Him. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).