“Anxiety has been rampant since 9/11 and perhaps no less so in the aftermath of the war in Iraq,” writes Keith Egan (my former theology professor at St. Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana) in an article called “Banishing Anxiety.” “Nothing seems to lower this pervasive anxiety as North Americans wait nervously for the next raising of an alert by homeland security.”

I read his article every anniversary of 9/11. Because he offers some constructive advice on how to tackle anxiety: go to the saints.

Say what?

He’s not talking about praying a novena to St. Jude as you breathe through a paper bag during a panic attack. He’s just suggesting that those of us with fragile nervous systems might look to some of our faith heroes for pointers on fear because many of them combated their own inner demons and scruples, triggered by their own 9/11s.

Egan first sites Teresa of Avila’s poem, also known as her Bookmark, which (in my pharmaceutical opinion) packs the power of five Valium:

Let nothing disturb you
Let nothing frighten you
All things pass away:
God never changes
Patience obtains all things.
The one who has God
Finds nothing lacking
God alone suffices.

He goes on to mention two more Carmelite saints: St. John of the Cross and Therese of Lisieux. But I thought I’d go even further, into the archives of writings from those who earned an official halo from Rome, or an unofficial one from me. Their words are calming–at least for me–because they remind me that God can get me through this. After all, he’s got a good track record.

Here, then, are some instructions from the guys (and the gals) with the glowing doughnut above them:

Love Heavenly Things

“Grant to us, O Lord, not to mind earthly things, but rather to love heavenly things, that while all things around us pass away, we even now may hold fast those things that abide forever.” -Leo the Great

Rest on God

“The great truth that God is all, and the rest nothing, becomes the life of the soul, and upon it one can lean securely amid the incomprehensible mysteries of this world.” -Mary Teresa de Soubiran

Learn to See Differently

“The eyes of the world see no farther than this life, as mine see no farther than this wall when the church door is hut. The eyes of the Christian see deep into eternity.” -St. John Vianney

Let God Remove the Dangers

“My soul has longed for you all night, O Eternal Wisdom! And in the early morning I turn to you from the depths of my heart. May your holy presence remove all dangers from my soul and body. May your many graces fill the inmost recesses of my heart, and inflame it with your divine love.” -Henry Suso

Pray For Our Enemies

“When our hearts are reluctant we often have to compel ourselves to pray for our enemies, to pour out prayer for those who are against us. Would that our hearts were filled with love!” -Gregory the Great

Speak to God

“Acquire the habit of speaking to God as if you were alone with God. Speak with familiarity and confidence as to your dearest and most loving friend. Speak of your life, your plans, your troubles, your joys, your fears. In return, God will speak to you–not that you will hear audible words in your ears, but words that you will clearly understand in your heart.” –Alphonsus Liguori

Trust In God

“Be courageous, do not be cast down. Trust in God and hope that he will grant you every grace. Do not rely on yourself, but rather on the Lord.” -Gerard Majella

Don’t Be Afraid to Trip

“It is not those who commit the least faults who are most holy, but those who have the greatest courage, the greatest generosity, the greatest love, who make the boldest efforts to overcome themselves, and are not immoderately apprehensive of tripping.” -Francis de Sales

Know That God Is Near

“Life is often irksome and bitter; it is hard to begin a laborious day, above all when Jesus hides Himself from us. What is this tender Friend doing? Does He not then see our anguish, the load that oppresses us; where is He? Why does He not come to console us? Ah, fear not … He is there, quite near! He is watching us; He, it is, who begs for these our labors and our tears … He has need of them for souls, for our soul; He wants to give us so glorious a recompense. Ah! Truly, it costs Him to make us drink of this bitter cup, but He knows that it is the one way by which to prepare us to know Him as He knows Himself and to become ourselves God-like.” -St. Therese of Lisieux

Ask God to Dispel It

“O my Lord, when moods of depression, anxiety, or resentment take possession of me, let me ask, ‘Why art thou so heavy, O my soul, and why art thou so disquieted within me?’ And let the answer show me the cause of my mood and dispel it, so that I forget my hurts and want only thee.” -George Appleton

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