To a lovely friend

You are beautiful. 

And you are proof that beauty does not lie in a life that is unscathed.

For indeed, it is the struggles that we face head-on that make us discover the depths of our strength.

It is the tears that we’ve shed that give our eyes a sense of mystery.

It is the heart that has been hurt, yet not refuses to give up on love, that is finally rewarded by true love in the most unexpected place.

Obedience to God

The journey to interior freedom is a long and never-ending journey. We never arrive. The moment we think that we have everything figured out and we safely use categories, is a sign that we are off-course.
It doesn't mean, though, that we don't have principles or convictions. Nay, it means that we are open to look at our values and see shades of egoism and self-centeredness in them. It is to admit that our motivations are never perfectly pure.
Left to ourselves, our criteria of judgment are always relative.
And so we need the light of Someone higher than ourselves. I call this Someone God, others might use another name.
Our choices are a constant search and dialogue. And so the journey goes on and on.

Seeing God through our tears

In his homily two years ago about today's Gospel reading, Mary Magdalene's encounter with the Risen Christ, Pope Francis said that it is often through our tears that we are able to see God.
Yes, it is when we are totally stripped of our so-called abilities, accomplishments and entitlements that we come to realize that there is nothing that we can hold on to forever, no matter how great it may be.
Our experiences of failure and disillusionment can be opportunities for us to review our life and to focus on what really matters. Our tears can purify us and cleanse our eyes so we can see clearly.
But we need to make one necessary step: stop looking at ourselves and fix our eyes above.
Only then can we see that "it is the Lord".