Blessing

Every blessing is given with the sign of the Cross. Why then are you surprised that suffering must accompany any blessing?

Getting you through

If God asks something of you, He is at the same time committing to getting you through.

Rationalizing

There are two ways of rationalizing your sins, which make it impossible for our Lord to help you.

1. "Lord, it's not me, it's my situation!"

You have placed the blame externally and refused help from our Lord. He can only change you if you admit that it is you.

2. "Lord, you're not expecting more from little me, are You?"

You are denying the power of His grace. Yes, you are infinitely small, but God's grace is enough.

To love Jesus

Love of God + Love of Man = Love of Jesus, true God and true Man

Do you love God? Do you love your fellow men? Because if you lack one or the other it is impossible to love Jesus, who is both God and man.

He is right next to you

Stop crying desperately into the darkness -- He is right next to you, so close you can't see Him.

Honesty and freedom

Unabashed honesty is the path to freedom for your soul. How long will you hide the rot behind whitewash rather than baring your soul to Our Lord? He knows that the wood is rotten, you are not telling him anything He does not know. Ah yes, but you would be telling yourself something you don't know, and how can that be? You have selective knowledge, dear soul. You are so opposed to acknowledging your darkness, your sight denies that it is there.
Let our Lord shed a new light on your soul; you need not be afraid. Your failings do not mean that you are no longer useful to Him. They simply point to the fact that you need a Redeemer: Good News! He's already come! Not looking at your wound does not make it go away; you must go to the physician for cleaning and stitches that it may heal. Only then are you free to perform to your full capacity.

A simple greeting

I'm sure you have experienced a time when in the midst of a gloomy day, God brought you sunshine through a greeting from a stranger. Perhaps it was a cheerful clerk at a store, or a friendly person who held the door for you with a smile. But regardless of who it was, or how it was done, that warmth went through a crack in your armor. You remembered that it is good that you are alive and you were filled with a renewed vigor for life.

We all need to make an effort to use this to bring joy to the world; but how much more so should we ensure that we greet our Lord and His Mother throughout the day? What joy you would bring to them, as they watch so many of their beloved children walk the road to perdition without so much as a glance in their direction. And if you do, you will find that they have been trying to greet you all along, if only you had turned to them! If a smile from a stranger can do so much to lift your spirits, imagine if we accepted a smile from our Lady? Or a loving hello from our Lord?