Friday, Fourth Week of Lent

FRIDAY, FOURTH WEEK OF LENT

The Path to Glory

The LORD is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD rescues them from them all. Psalm 34:17, 18

Jesus’ own suffering was brought upon him by the forces of darkness. Still he speaks about his suffering and death as his way to glory. It is very hard to keep bringing all our past under the light of gratitude. There are so many things about which we feel guilt and shame, so many things we simply wish had never happened. But each time we have the courage to look at “the all of it” and to look at it as God looks at it, our guilt becomes a happy guilt and our shame a happy shame because they have brought us to a deeper recognition of God’s mercy, a stronger conviction of God’s guidance, and a more radical commitment to a life in God’s service. Once all our past is remembered in gratitude, we are free to be sent into the world to proclaim good news to others. Just as Peter’s denials didn’t paralyze him but, once forgiven, became a new source of his faithfulness, so can all our failures and betrayals be transformed into gratitude and enable us to become messengers of hope.

Lord, the one small way I can live this truth is that when I pray alone, I pray deeply for others and draw them into my relationship with you.

Henri J. M. Nouwen

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