Mother Mary in me

I just recently read the book "The Secret Life of Bees" and I love the way the author wrote about Mother Mary. Since today is Mother Mary's feast, here are some excerpts:

Our Lady is not some magical being out there somewhere, like a fairy godmother. She's not the statue in the parlor. She's something inside of you...

You don't have to put your hand on Mary's heart to get strength and consolation and rescue, and all the other things we need to get through life... You can place it right here on your own heart. Your own heart...

All those times your father treated you mean, Our Lady was the voice in you that said, 'No, I will not bow down to this. I am Lily Melissa Owens, I will not bow down.' Whether you could hear this voice or not, she was in there saying it...

When you're unsure of yourself, when you start pulling back into doubt and small living, she's the one inside saying, 'Get up from there and live like the glorious girl you are.' She's the power inside you...

And whatever it is that keeps widening your heart, that's Mary, too, not only the power inside you but the love. And when you get down to it, Lily, that's the only purpose grand enough for a human life. Not just to love - but to persist in love...

(From 'The Secret Life of Bees', by Sue Monk Kidd)

Yes, not just to love but to persist in love, like Mary at the foot of the cross.

Moving on

When we look with faith at our experiences, we know (at least in our heads) that everything falls into place in God's plan, even the unpleasant ones that make us suffer. But it is different for one who suffers, because there is a big distance between what we know in our mind and what we feel in our hearts. We just want to end the pain because we feel we do not have anymore energy. We are sapped of even our good resolutions when we really find ourselves in the depths.
It is then that we need to be kind to ourself. Be aware of what we feel, admit it, without laying any blame or guilt in ourself. Sometimes what happens to us could be a consequence of a bad choice of ours, but there is no use blaming ourselves. Just admit the pain, cry as much as you want to. When it subsides, make a choice just to continue to live just for this moment. Most importantly, consciously ask God's help, without being in a hurry. Ask God to bless you because even if you are not aware of it, you are moving on.

Fly

When you have come to the edge of all the light you have
And step into the darkness of the unknown
Believe that one of the two will happen to you
Either you’ll find something solid to stand on
Or you’ll be taught how to fly!
(Richard Bach)

God-with-me

"If you seek me with your heart you will find me by your side. I will restore your fortune and treasure and gather you from places lost."

In his time

Prayer for today

Lord, you allow things to happen for a greater good.
When the horizon is so dark, and I cannot see any way out, and I do not feel the comfort of any sensible experience, I trust in you.

You know what is best for me, you know my fragility, the limits of my strength.

I trust in you.

In all things, may Your holy will be done.

I trust in you.

Lord, save us

As Jesus got into the boat, his disciples followed him. Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by waves; but he was asleep. (Mt 8:23-24)
The sea is the image of life that each of us is called to embark upon in our fragile boat. There are lulls of good weather and there are recurring tempests. This voyage is inevitable and can instill fear and anxiety, especially in today's society where anonymity dominates and it is easy to feel alone. We may feel as though we are drowning in the hostile waves on a moonless night. Shore seems like a distant and foggy mirage. The limitations of others create a heavy burden, ballast that renders rowing more difficult.
From the moment of the Incarnation, God has placed His boat alongside ours on these terrible waves. What's more, He asked Peter and now asks us to let Him come into our boat. From that moment, there no longer exists nights that are not illuminated by the light of faith, weak as it may be. It is true that there are days in which Jesus seems to be deeply asleep and the waves threaten to overwhelm us. Our prayer seems to be drowned out by the winds. We may even say, I no longer know how to pray. There is only one prayer full of an anguished cry that rises to our lips: Lord, save us!
This is the sincerest prayer because it rises from the depths of our being where we find ourselves face to face with our existential poverty. It is there that He is present, though asleep. He sleeps in order to re-awaken our drowsy faith. He sleeps but His heart keeps vigil. Let us listen to Him and treasure His words full of tender reproach, 'Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?'

(From Friends and Servants of the Word, June 30, 2009)