Do you ever feel that whatever you do in life is not good enough, or that you are not as good as you wish to be, be it abilities, capabilities, accomplishments, intelligence, social aptitude or spiritual maturity?
I just came home from an afternoon in the CGS (Catechesis of the Good Shepherd) atrium where I felt defeated by a bunch of three to six year olds. I was not patient enough. I did not give enough Montessorian freedom. I did not handle a situation well as in I ended up taking on an authoritarian role, bringing forth high aggression. I felt like a complete failure (my only grace is I kept my cool and kept praying for wisdom to know what to do in a rapidly deteriorating situation even as we eyeballed each other).
I am so glad we are in Easter for the message of the season helps me move on. Resurrection. New life. I so need that, especially after this afternoon.
As Pope Francis put it in his Easter blessing, His first Urbi et Orbi, that Jesus is risen "means that the love of God is stronger than evil and death itself; it means that the love of God can transform our lives and let those desert places in our hearts bloom."
Resurrection implies that "Jesus did not return to his former life, to earthly life, but entered into the glorious life of God and he entered there with our humanity, opening us to a future of hope." I definitely hope that I do better in the near future for throwing in the towel is not an option even as I feel much like it.
I must remember that "the power of the Resurrection, this passover from slavery to evil to the freedom of goodness, must be accomplished in every age, in our concrete existence, in our everyday lives. How many deserts, even today, do human beings need to cross!"
The deserts, as Pope Francis goes on to identify, are the deserts within: "...when we have no love for God or neighbour, when we fail to realize that we are guardians of all that the Creator has given us and continues to give us. God’s mercy can make even the driest land become a garden, can restore life to dry bones (cf. Ez 37:1-14)."
I just came home from an afternoon in the CGS (Catechesis of the Good Shepherd) atrium where I felt defeated by a bunch of three to six year olds. I was not patient enough. I did not give enough Montessorian freedom. I did not handle a situation well as in I ended up taking on an authoritarian role, bringing forth high aggression. I felt like a complete failure (my only grace is I kept my cool and kept praying for wisdom to know what to do in a rapidly deteriorating situation even as we eyeballed each other).
I am so glad we are in Easter for the message of the season helps me move on. Resurrection. New life. I so need that, especially after this afternoon.
As Pope Francis put it in his Easter blessing, His first Urbi et Orbi, that Jesus is risen "means that the love of God is stronger than evil and death itself; it means that the love of God can transform our lives and let those desert places in our hearts bloom."
Resurrection implies that "Jesus did not return to his former life, to earthly life, but entered into the glorious life of God and he entered there with our humanity, opening us to a future of hope." I definitely hope that I do better in the near future for throwing in the towel is not an option even as I feel much like it.
I must remember that "the power of the Resurrection, this passover from slavery to evil to the freedom of goodness, must be accomplished in every age, in our concrete existence, in our everyday lives. How many deserts, even today, do human beings need to cross!"
The deserts, as Pope Francis goes on to identify, are the deserts within: "...when we have no love for God or neighbour, when we fail to realize that we are guardians of all that the Creator has given us and continues to give us. God’s mercy can make even the driest land become a garden, can restore life to dry bones (cf. Ez 37:1-14)."
Thus, the way I can accept the grace of Christ’s Resurrection fully in my life, in the Pope's words, is to be renewed by God’s mercy and to be loved by Jesus, allowing the power of his love to transform my life so that I can become an agent of this mercy and a channel through which God
can water the earth, protect all creation and make justice and peace
flourish.
Can my desert places bloom? Yes, if I believe in Jesus, His resurrection, the whole Easter story, then I can also spiritually resurrect from my failures, my low self-worth and lack of confidence, and keep moving forward.
For as Robert Frost wrote:
The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
Can my desert places bloom? Yes, if I believe in Jesus, His resurrection, the whole Easter story, then I can also spiritually resurrect from my failures, my low self-worth and lack of confidence, and keep moving forward.
For as Robert Frost wrote:
The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
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