Hiding Nothing
Wisdom for all of us . . .
You can hide nothing from God.
The mask you wear before men will do you no good before Him.
He wants to see you as you are,
He wants to be gracious to you.
You do not have to go on lying to yourself and your brothers,
as if you were without sin;
you can dare to be a sinner.
~Dietrich Bonhoeffer from Life Together
One of my Monday morning jobs in our college health clinic is to meet with any student who got so intoxicated they had to spend part of the weekend in the emergency room. Alcohol poisonings are distressingly common on all college campuses, and ours is no exception. What I do during our morning-after visit is review the records with the student so they have some idea what took place before they woke up hours later on a gurney in a noisy smelly emergency room– alcohol…
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We must not fret
“We must not fret over our own imperfections.”
~St. Francis de Sales
Do not despair
“Our gracious Lord does not wish His servants to despair
because of frequent or grievous falling,
because our falling does not prevent Him from loving us.”
(Julian of Norwich)
Isn’t this the Good News?
Take heart
Michele’s story
Last night at Witnesses to Hope, Michele Hufnagel shared her very inspiring story of finding grace amid the many losses in her life, grace she found through the power of the rosary. (Unknown to me, I scheduled her for last night, the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary with absolutely no knowledge of how significant the rosary is to her story.) If you want to listen, you can go here to find the links. Thank you, Michele, for your transparency and for being such a witness to hope!
“In that hidden corner of the soul”
I was really struck by this today from Contemplative Provocations by Fr. Donald Haggerty. I’ve been reading and re-reading it . . .
The psychologists are sometimes quick to remind us that forcing any painful experience into a forgotten corner of the soul is likely to do eventual harm. But if we have ignored this warning, it is good to remember that God entered that corner as well, and that he is still waiting there with an offer of his friendship if our soul wishes to meet him. Some people may only realize the extent to which God has been secretly giving himself when they perceive that his companionship has all along been present in that hidden corner of the soul.
Be still, my soul
Be still, my soul–the Lord is on thy side!
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
Leave to thy God to order and provide–
In every change he faithful will remain.
Be still my soul–thy best, thy heav’nly friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.
Be still, my soul–thy God doth undertake
To guide the future as he has the past;
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake–
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul–the waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while he dwelt below.
Be still, my soul–the hour is hast’ning on
When we shall be for ever with the Lord,
When disappointment, grief and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul–when change and tears are past,
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.
~Katharina von Schlagel (Trans. Jane L. Borthwick)
The presence of Love
“There are souls for whom philosophical concepts are unintelligible, for whom theological words are hollow and meaningless, for whom the most logical arguments are unconvincing. Such souls must be put in the presence of Love.”
Isn’t that true for most of us? You can continue to read this beautiful reflection by Dom Mark Daniel Kirby here: “But quick-eyed Love drew nearer to me.”
Words from my friend
Celebrating her today . . .
Witnesses to Hope 