Each day is a journey. New challenges are coming in waves. Trust the Lord to guide you. Move through every obstacle like water flowing to channels that empty into open spaces. Do not dwell in the depths of your despair.
A resurgence of uncertainty looms as the newest year is ushered in to muted fêtes mixed with longing for a return to days past. But ahead we must go. Each present moment leads to the next. There is no turning back.
The future is darkness, scary because we cannot see it. Sorrow, loss, even death await us but there is hope. Living life brings light to the day. In God there is no darkness at all, and with faith, peace will dwell in heart and mind.
Life requires taking risks. We need courage to live everything… to not be so careful that we don’t experience all that God has gifted to us. We can discover joy in sorrow so long as fear does not get in the way.
“Life itself is a great sacrament through which we are wounded and healed.”–John O’Donohue
We must pray for those who have lost their way. Justice is empty if not imbued with grace. Forgiveness is powerful, a reverent acceptance that humility is the hand of God pulling off the veil of our humanness.
Peace is a healing word, invoking a vision of wholeness. It is God’s hope for us. We live in a broken place. When we spread God’s peace to others, we place our hands into the world’s wounds and with Christ, become healers of the world.
“A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” John 20: 26-27
When we feast on the bread and drink the wine, we receive the life of Christ into ourselves and we come alive with it! We remember not who Christ was but who he is in the here and now. We are the vessels of Christ in the world.
Grace is all around us in abundance. Grace takes great courage. Grace is strength not weakness. Do not use grace sparingly. Accept grace when offered to you. Against hate, grace is the best defense. The power of grace is within us all.