The Prayer of Relinquishment

husband had said earlier that day. “I cannot endure the alternations of
hope and fear; therefore I have settled with myself not to hope at all.”
But the mother could not share Nathaniel’s hopelessness. Una could
not, must not die. This daughter had the finest mind, the most complex
character of all the Hawthorne children. Why should some capricious
Providence demand that they give her up?
As the night deepened, the girl lay so still that she seemed to be in the
anteroom of death. The mother looked out the window onto the piazza.
A dark and silent sky was heavy with clouds.
I cannot bear this loss—cannot—cannot....Then suddenly,
unaccountably, another thought took over. Why should I doubt the
goodness of God? Let him take Una, if he sees best. I can give her to
him. No, I won’t fight against him anymore. Having made the great
sacrifice, Mrs. Hawthorne expected to feel sadder. Instead she felt
lighter, happier than at any time since Una’s long illness had begun.
Some minutes later she walked back to the girl’s bedside, felt her
daughter’s forehead. It was moist and cool. Una was sleeping naturally.
And the mother rushed into the next room to tell her husband that a
miracle had happened.
Now, the intriguing question is, What is the spiritual law implicit in this
Prayer of Relinquishment? Fear is like a screen erected between us and
God, so that his power cannot get through to us. So, how does one get
rid of fear?
This is not easy when what we want most is involved. At such times,
every emotion, every passion, is tied up in the dread that what we fear is
Page
10 of 37