Anxiety or Distress?

Bulletin Article for 11/20/2011

Appreciating the New Translations

The words the priest says following the Lord’s Prayer change slightly.  The principal change is “protect us from all anxiety” becomes “and safe from all distress.”  Anxiety and distress?  What is the difference?  If you look up their meaning in a dictionary, the definition for one includes the other.  Perhaps the difference we might see is that we see distress as we what are going through while anxiety is a feeling it creates in us.  We certainly pray that we do not feel anxiety over the difficulties we face in life.  Even more so, we pray for God’s help in facing “distress” in our lives before we ever feel anxious.