More than once, I distinctly remember my mother smiling, shaking her head and uttering a favorite old French saying, "Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose." Or for us English-speaking people, "The more things change, the more they stay the same." I find it is a truism, succinctly explaining many situations.

Another saying also rings true: Those who do not study history are condemned to repeat it. Whether in government or church matters, we all know of examples of people who, if they had only stopped to reflect for more than a moment, would have avoided making a mistake. If only...

I am certainly not saying that there is nothing new under the sun. What I mean is that there are many things that seem to reoccur in life-whether we live in 2009 or in 309. As an example, I invite you to listen to someone's comments about those people who long constantly for "the good old days."

"So we must not complain... Is there any affliction now endured by humankind that was not endured by our forebears before us? What sufferings of ours even bear comparison with what we know of their sufferings? And yet you hear people complaining about this present day and age because things were so much better in former times. I wonder what would happen if they could be taken back to the days of their ancestors-would we not still hear them complaining? You may think past ages were good, but it is only because you are not living in them...

"How then can you think that past ages were better than your own? From the time that the first Adam to the time of his descendants today, the human being's lot has been labor and sweat, thorns and thistles. Have we forgotten the flood and the calamitous times of famine and war whose history has been recorded precisely in order to keep us from complaining to God on account of our own times? "Just think what those past ages were like! Is there one of us who does not shudder to hear or read of them? Far from justifying complaints about our own time, they teach us how much we have to be thankful for."

These are words written not during our recent financial downturn and during the dark days of the Depression. They were written over 1,500 years ago by none other than St. Augustine of Hippo, a bishop (354-430) in a sermon to his people. (Caillau-Saint Yves Sermon 2, 92) It is truly amazing that there are some situation in life that seem to be constant from generation to generation.

Yet today there are certainly many new things under our sun, brand new situations which seem to offer us a new conundrum to ponder and discuss. With our present 24-hour news cycle, we hear so much news we can sometimes feel overwhelmed. It can be too much to take in and process. That means that we need some compass points for our life.

Faith can offer us that rootedness, that place we can visit for a sanity break from our restless world. Faith can be our "rock of refuge", but it takes letting go and letting God lead us. We shouldn't use our faith to pound people over the head with our opinions. Faith should give us the vision, the patience and peace to deal with the challenges that life gives us. However, our faith in God is not meant to be a refuge from our world but an anchor within it.

As a baby boomer who grew up in the 1960s and loves music, I find in music another anchor in life. I often use it to calm and center me-but not only so-called "religious" music. For example, the words to Paul Simon's "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" is very assuring-reminding me that God is always there for me.

When you're weary, feeling small, When tears are in your eyes, I will dry them all; I'm on your side. When times get rough And friends just can't be found, Like a bridge over troubled water I will lay me down.

For some people, the Beatle's song "Let It Be" can help them appreciate the proper place of Our Blessed Lady in comforting us, helping us to accept and deal with the challenges we face.

When I find myself in times of trouble, mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom, let it be. And in my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of me, speaking words of wisdom, let it be.

Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be. Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.

As people of this post-modern age, we must allow ourselves to take an active part in this world of ours-within our family, our faith community, our city and state societies. All these arenas need active participants, not mere "official members" who remain uninvolved and show up only for those infrequent, special occasions. Humanity has had far too many of those kind of people who no doubt complain about many things but do precious little to change things for the better by their involvement and support. We have the power to recognize that, while it's still true that "the more things change, the more they stay the same," we can make a difference by what we bring to the table. Each of us must stop complaining and bring our gifts to the dinner table, the worship table and the political table. Then perhaps we won't have so much to complain about!

The Rev. Ron Gagne is director of communications for the La Salette Communications Center, and publishes a quarterly magazine called "La Salette America." He can be reached at rongagne@aol.com.