Damn.
Then I remember why I began fasting and praying: "Not my will, but Thy Will be done."
For some reason, it's more difficult to leave the future of my country in His Hands than it is the future of His Church. :)
I have been reading A Year with John Paul II: Daily Meditations from His Writings and Prayers (edited by Fr. Jerome Vereb). The Meditation for today, November 5, is titled "My Deepest Thoughts":
I have lately given much thought to the liberating force of suffering. It is on suffering that Christ's system rests, beginning with the cross and ending with the smallest human torment. This is the true messiad (the true source or hope of belief in a Messiah).
--Letter to Mieczyslaw Kotlarczyk, November 2, 1939
Hmmm...
I am also reading St. John of the Cross, Dark Night of the Soul: how the journey of self denial leads to perfect union with God. In Chapter V, St. John discusses the imperfections of the beginner in the matter of anger. Numbers two and three stood out for me: those who are angry with other people for their faults and who consider themselves "guardians of virtue" and those who become angry with themselves "with an impatience that is not humble...as if they would be saints in one day."
Here's the terrifying part: "There is no perfect remedy for this but in the dark night."
I don't know that I'm ready for a "dark night."
Meanwhile, Virgen de Guadalupe, pray for us and watch over this country. Open the minds and hearts of our leaders, both current and newly elected, to the Will of your Son.
Update: As usual, The Anchoress puts it all into perspective for me. :)
I am also reading St. John of the Cross, Dark Night of the Soul: how the journey of self denial leads to perfect union with God. In Chapter V, St. John discusses the imperfections of the beginner in the matter of anger. Numbers two and three stood out for me: those who are angry with other people for their faults and who consider themselves "guardians of virtue" and those who become angry with themselves "with an impatience that is not humble...as if they would be saints in one day."
Here's the terrifying part: "There is no perfect remedy for this but in the dark night."
I don't know that I'm ready for a "dark night."
Meanwhile, Virgen de Guadalupe, pray for us and watch over this country. Open the minds and hearts of our leaders, both current and newly elected, to the Will of your Son.
Update: As usual, The Anchoress puts it all into perspective for me. :)
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