Vessels of clay

Thank you for the phone call, Leo. It was one of those brief I-know-you're-out-there-fighting-the-good-fight kind of "hello" phone calls at one of those weird times...yeah, you know...you always know...and one of these days we'll share stories since, like you said, it's been a while.

Things happen. We often don't understand why, as I was explaining to my boys today, but God always manages to bring about a greater good out of trials and suffering. I told Jay a while ago that had the struggle never been there, we might not have grown as close to Jesus and Mama Mary. That will forever hold true...

"We carry this treasure in vessels of clay, so that this all-surpassing power may not be seen as ours but as God's. Trials of every sort come to us, but we are not discouraged. We are left without answer, but do not despair; persecuted but not abandoned, knocked down but not crushed." (2 Cor 4:7-8)

People are people. We all fall short of the glory of God. We've all made mistakes. We've all had a part in crucifying Christ when we've hurt ourselves and those around us. And others have in one way or another with or without intention crucified us as well. The pain of loss, of rejection, of illness and death...it's all part of our human condition...the effect of Original Sin.

The beautiful thing about it all, though, is the opportunity to accept His mercy...to unite our crosses with His...that after Good Friday comes Easter Sunday...that victory is found in God alone. Out of a lunchtime conversation with Christian came the reminder that if we lived without Him in this life, we'd create hell for ourselves.

It's not worth ditching Calvary.

I'll climb with you, my Lord. All the way to the top. Again and again, as many times as it takes for me to get up each time my face hits the ground. Basta Ikaw, Lord...all this for You.

I gave away my last sacramental today...at least until the young heart is restored...only to be left with the God who lives in my own heart. Lent is a time of letting go of our attachments...of making sacrifices for God and for others only to draw us deeper into the perfect love of Jesus.

Please, dearest Lord, help me empty myself of myself so that I may be filled with only You. Each time I say no to You, I bleed...leaking grace...grace that can no longer be wasted. Time to get patched up again.

Confession tomorrow. I'm sorry, Lord, for not praying as I was made to...

"You are the letter. This letter is written in your inner self, yet all can read it and understand it. Yes, who could deny that you are Christ's letter written by us - a letter written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, carved not in slabs of stone, but in hearts of flesh.

With unveiled faces , we all reflect the Glory of the Lord, while we are transformed into His likeness and experience His Glory more and more by the action of the Lord who is spirit." (2 Cor 3:2-3, 18)