Grace Meets Us as We Are

 

Readings 091726 

We bring all that we are to God—  

our goodness…  

but also the wounds of our sinfulness,  

the trauma we carry quietly  

in the hidden places of the soul.  

As a spiritual director,  

I see how these wounds  

tangle up our relationships—  

relationship with self,  

relationship with others,  

relationship with God.  

Our sinfulness and our trauma  

are not God’s will for us—  

they’re the path the world has carved,  

the burdens life has pressed upon us.  

But by the grace of God,  

I am what I am…  

and His grace to me  

has not been ineffective.  

It’s working—  

slowly,  

tenderly,  

faithfully.  

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,  

because He meets us right where we are—  

not where we wish we were.  

Like that woman who slipped  

into the Pharisee’s house,  

carrying her shame  

in an alabaster jar.  

She brought her whole story to Jesus—  

her tears, her past, her hope—  

and He received every bit of it.  

No rejection.  

No hesitation.  

Just mercy.  

“Your faith has saved you,” He said.  

“Go in peace.”  

And maybe that’s the invitation today:  

to bring our whole selves to Christ  

and let grace do what grace does—  

heal, restore,  

and make room  

for a new beginning.  

Come to Him,  

all you who labor and are burdened…  

and He will give you rest. 

Prayer

Lord Jesus, 

I bring all that I am 

into Your healing light.  

Receive my wounds 

my weariness 

with Your mercy.  

Untangle what is broken, make it whole.  

Let Your grace shape my heart toward love.  

Lead me into the peace only You can give.

Amen

Love More

 

Readings 091626

Memorial of Saints Cornelius and Cyprian

In my marriage ministry,  

every week—  

couples come preparing, 

praying, 

hoping.  

They love the beautiful lines:  

“Love is patient, love is kind…”

But in the quiet moments of prep,  

we talk about the rest of the passage—  

the call to put aside childish things

and step into a mature, sacrificial love.

Because sometimes marriages fail.  

Not for lack of effort,  

but because one heart never truly arrived—  

never came with honesty, humility,  

or the willingness to grow.

And it is the same with Christians.  

Through baptism, we are welcomed  

as adopted sons and daughters of the Father.  

But many do not yet know how to love.  

They come to the faith  

without a true heart,  

without the interior surrender  

that makes love possible.

They never came with honesty, humility,  

or the willingness to grow.

Saint Paul warns us:  

If I speak with angelic tongues,  

if I move mountains with faith,  

if I give away everything—  

but do not have love,  

I gain nothing.  

Nothing at all.

Today we remember  

Saints Cornelius and Cyprian—  

bishops and martyrs  

who defended unity and mercy.  

Their witness reminds us  

that Christians must love each other more.  

Not with sentiment,  

but with the mature love  

that chooses Christ first.

Love never fails.  

We do.  

But grace can teach us to fail less,  

to grow up in love,  

and to let Christ make our hearts true.

Prayer 

Lord Jesus Christ, 

Teach us the love

that chooses You first.  

Shape our hearts with honesty,

humility, and mercy.  

Guide every Christian

toward true surrender.  

Let Your grace steady us

when we fail.  

Make our love a witness

to Christ in the world.

Amen

Saints Cornelius and Cyprian, pray for us.