Daring to love

But I'd rather suffer these goodbyes than live a superficial life with no deep bonds with anybody. What a sad life. To refuse to love is to waste away and to slowly die.

Once again, on saying goodbye

Saying goodbye is always not easy. The deeper the connection is, the more difficult and heart-wrenching goodbye is.
But saying goodbye gives a certain depth to us because it enables us to appreciate the gifts that we have been given, even when we have to let them go. Saying goodbye reminds us that only God remains. When we have God we have everything.

Continuing the journey

There are certain experiences in life that leave a big mark. They make us lose our "innocence" and question the things we believe in. As I am writing this, I am reminding myself that when this happens I don't have a grasp of the whole picture. I am seeing things from my own perspective, using my own filters.
I don't want to judge people. I hope I am not judging people. I don't want this to be "us against them". I don't want this to be "my crusade" against a person or a group. Rather, I hope that God will transform me and grant me wisdom of heart so that I may see as God sees, and leave the judgment of people in God's hands. May I learn to judge a situation with the criteria of the Gospel, so that I may truly discern the right attitude and course of action. May God grant me unwavering hope.
May God help me to grow...
... in interior freedom so that I may be healed of my prejudices and my paralyses;
... in coherence of life between what is in my heart and what I say and do;
... in transparency because anything that is not done in truth is like a castle in the air that doesn't last;
... in going out of my comfort zones so that I may be able to give, especially to people who cannot or will not repay me, and to forgive again and again.

True failure

We fail in religious life not because our projects don't succeed.
We fail in religious life when we no longer see with faith God's various mediations.

Conversion

It is easy to criticize others for their abuse of power; but what about us when we treat others as subordinate to us? What do we do with our "powers", our capacity to influence, the esteem (and fear) others have towards us? Are we willing to give them up? Are we ready not to be needed and feel useful? How do we respond when others malign us or put the worst interpretation of who we are, and of what we say and do?
If we are truthful about it, there is in our hearts the desire for power, to have a certain edge over someone, no matter how small this edge might be. Acknowledging this is the first step to purification, to realize that corruption is not outside but within us, to see that conversion begins first of all in ourselves.

My part

I do not have complete power over the outcome of a situation but I have complete power over my attitude.

Pray at all times

To pray is to allow God to transform our being so that we may contemplate the world with God's eyes and love everything with God's own heart.