Transcription
[Music]
Welcome to Metta, a podcast with the Sisters of Life. We invite you to join us for conversation looking at life through the lens of love. You are loved. You are made in God's image, and your life matters. Let's talk about it.
Hi, and welcome back to Let Love Podcast with the Sisters of Life. This is Sister Veritas, and this is Sister Agnes. And it's just a gift to be back with you all and with you, Sister. Sister, it's a pure delight. Amen.
What are we up to this week? Or how have you been?
Yeah, I've been pretty good. You know, it's been a busy, busy week, but, uh, yeah. Well, you know, yesterday, I kind of suffered an interesting experience.
Hmm. Sorry to hear that.
Thank you. One of those moments you're like, I wish you could kind of rewind, go back in time, hadn't made that particular decision. But, uh, yeah, I spilled water on a laptop. You know, there's many cups around this laptop, and just a slight overextension of the hand. I was like, you know, that slow-motion moment where the water pours over and into the keyboard area.
Yeah. Sorry. It's to be painful, and you're like shaking it. And I've never really done this to an electronic. I've done other things to electronics, but, um, but apparently, put it in rice.
Yeah, I think it's, I'm remotely familiar. But is that the remedy you applied?
Yeah, I buried it in rice. That experience. It's upside down and rice, and apparently draws the water out. You know?
Wow. Yeah. And but I have to say, it, it, I just turned it on, and it works. Amen. High praise, Jesus. Unfortunately, there's rice stuck inside of it. So when I shake it, I can hear murmurs. I imagine at some point, I'll have a terrible effect. But until that point, it's working. It's working.
Do you get to eat the rice afterwards?
I was gonna say, we could boil it up.
Hmm. You know, don't you think that wouldn't be fortified?
Yeah, it's been fortified. Any, when you boil something, it's sanitized. You feel absolutely clean. Yeah, that's clean.
Well, sounds like, Sister, you went from "woe" like, "whoa," you know, like you can in the bed, "woe" like W-O-E. Right? You went from "woe" to "whoa." It's pretty bad.
Well, listen, I actually think the strong connection to what we're talking about today. I think it does. Let love suffer with you. Yeah. Yeah. And what a poignant thing to talk about. Amen. You know, especially because we all suffer. It's real. It's real. The struggle is real. Yeah. And what does love want to do there?
Yeah. Well, that's, remember, you could start with a prayer.
Sounds good, Sister. Do you? If, let's start with a prayer.
In the name of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Amen.
And Father, we thank you for the gift of Your Son, Jesus, who through our baptism has united Himself to each of us, who has come into the fullness of our life. We ask for every grace to receive this gift of risen life, healing love, a presence that is resurrection. And we ask in a special way to be vulnerable to this love, especially in the places we suffer. We ask, Holy Spirit, that You guide our minds and our hearts. Fill our souls with the peace of Jesus Christ. And Blessed Mother, draw us into Your Immaculate Heart, that we might peacefully abide in unto this day. As we say, Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Our Lady of Compassion, pray for us. Amen.
So, "Let love suffer with you." What's this all about?
You know, I think it's such a profound question and thing to think about because one, just through knowledge, two, truth, that suffering like we said, suffering is real, and we all suffer. Mm-hmm. And it's not something that anybody really normally wants. Amen. All right. And, and so, what, like, what does love look like in suffering? What, what does love have to do with suffering? You know, why suffering? There's a lot of questions surrounding suffering, you know, especially in our own lives and then those we love, watch them suffer. Amen. And which is, which is another suffering. It is. Boys.
Well, Sister, all of your questions make me think of a document that I read that really changed my life. It's called Salvifici Doloris. And this is John Paul II wrote this during his time as Pope. And it talks all about the Christian meaning of human suffering. Wow. And I don't know, I highly recommend a read on this. It's a short document. It actually leans into everything that you're asking. And I think that every human heart asks it's like, why, really, why? Because we know, actually, we're not made for suffering. There's an aversion to it. Even Padre Pio said, "Don't pray for it." And living the day in and of itself can can be enough. But I wonder if I did like a four and a half minute commercial on this document, if it might be a little teaser for people, and I might kind of frame our conversation.
Yeah, I love this, Sister.
Well, here we go. I think, basically, John Paul II, and again, we've talked a lot about him. He knew suffering across the board. Communism, World War II, he saw it. Yeah. He lived it. Yeah. And basically, what you were saying, Sister, is the reality that suffering is part of the human condition. You know, it's, it's inevitable. It's, in a way, suffering is, is as deep as man himself. And yet, so we don't, we can't really choose it. And I think if you ask anyone, suffering kind of finds them. Yeah. You know, no matter what you do, it's just there. It is. You wake up, and there it is. And it's all shapes and colors and forms. But what John Paul II proposes is that we do have a choice in how we live it. And that, he says, suffering is one of those points in which we're not beaten. The human person is not beaten, but rather destined to go beyond himself. No. Not only that, but that the Church, I know sometimes we get a bad rap for saying, you know, "offer it up." Suffering is good. And I think suffering has potential. Mm-hmm. To bear great fruitfulness and good in our lives as we live it with Christ. But in itself, it's actually a great evil. And that the Church actually wants to meet the human person in a special way, wherever he might be suffering within that. And then he also recognizes that there's physical suffering, but there's also spiritual suffering, this pain of the soul. Which, you know, I would say, it's easy to slap a band-aid on, take a few Tylenol. But the pain of the soul is much more difficult to treat. And I think, just, and again, another little nugget, it's that when we suffer, what it reveals to us is actually the good that we've been made for. Because in this, when we experience any kind of evil, it points the reality that I'm good, and I'm made for a tremendous good. And when any piece or part of that good isn't experienced, mm-hmm, I suffer. And it tells us a lot about who we are, made in the image and likeness of God. And that ultimately brings us to the question, why? Yeah. Yes.
I mean, it's like one of the crises of the human heart. Why? You know, and where the midst of your own suffering or another's, why do we suffer? You know, what, it makes me think of, and I love everything you're saying, Sister, and it, it kind of draws me to think of the book of Job, you know, where he was really experienced very profound sufferings, and the question was asked, "Why?" And all his friends, even his wife, were like, "It's because you did something wrong." Hmm. And Job was like, "No, I didn't." You know? And kind of God allowed this, but it wasn't something he did, you know? But it's, it's, it, it points to a great mystery because, you know, suffering can be the result of a lot of things. And it, in a deep sense, it's, it's part of the human condition now, after the fall. Mm-hmm. Right? Suffering. And it's not necessarily a punishment, like it can be, in the sense of, you know, like, you know, there's like spiritual laws of gravity, you know, if I, you know, put my arm against a brick wall, and I might break it. And if I do something like that spiritually, there's, you know, there's kind of it's gonna hurt, right? So there's that. But it's like there's also just the reality of original sin, after the fall, we're in that kind of broken place that we're not able to receive fully God's life and love. And that in itself is a source of suffering. And we, we kind of have our, our kind of interior compass is slightly off-kilter, which, which I mean, is this suffering in itself, but leads us to maybe choose things that hurt. Yeah. You know? So, I mean, that's one kind of approach. Or just the mystery of sometimes God allows things. Mm-hmm. That we don't necessarily understand, and it's nothing we've done, you know.
Well, Sister, actually, you're harkening right to the document because that's precisely the example that John Paul II uses. And as you're saying, actually, Job, in a way, prefigures Christ because he suffers, and he suffers innocently, and he knows that and responds. What's so beautiful, he shows us the fundamental response to living our sufferings fruitfully and meaningfully. And this is the response of faith. That it's not a consequence, his suffering, of a fault, but rather it develops this idea of suffering. And even if you look in the Old Testament, God's chosen people, they suffer, you know, in and through their journey through the desert. God's design, and that was not to destroy them, but to discipline them. And in that example, we see the potential of suffering to rebuild goodness in the individual who suffers. So, in a sense, we see both in the Old and New Testament, ultimately, if you take a closer look, that suffering serves for conversion, for the rebuilding of goodness. And that, in a way, throws a person to their knees to recognize God's merciful call of love, this potential to overcome evil and allow God's strength to do that. And also draw us into deeper relationship with God. And again, this assures us to the foot of the cross, ultimately, because I think at the heart of the question of suffering for the for the Christian is the potential we have in the experience of suffering flows forth from the cross. Yeah.
Amen. Sister, that's beautiful. And I think it's like, at the end of the day, actually, the only answer to suffering is the person of Jesus Christ. He's the only one who can answer and ever will be able to answer our suffering. And it's, it's all found in Him. Who took it on Himself, right? It's like, I think there's a quote from Pope Benedict that says, "When we look at our, you know, life and all these questions, you know, why did this happen? Why did that happen?" He says, "One day, we will look at His wounds, and we will understand." You know? But it's really, really something. This, this, like, our religion, best Christians, it's the only religion that holds out to us a suffering God, and a God who suffers with and takes upon Himself our suffering. And that it's significant, actually.
Well, it's incredible, Sister, in truth. I love what you're saying. Mm-hmm. That there's no suffering we can find that He has not entered into completely. Mm-hmm. That, in a sense, suffering, all of our lives, in the whole experience of our lives, whatever it finds, has been linked to love. Because that's precisely what put Jesus on the cross. This reality that God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. And in a sense, this is what the cross gives us. He overcame death and He rose. I mean, look at the hope we have in our faith. Yeah. It's stunning. I mean, it's really astounding. And He really thinks about it. He conquered suffering and death. He transformed. He took that real, real evil, you know, and brought a greater good than if it hadn't happened at all. And it's amazing. You know, God Almighty, who created the universe, refused to let us be alone in our suffering. He would not. He would not stand for it. He wanted to come and be with you. No one is that being with. I know that it's kind of the heart of it for me. In a sense, suffering is always a trial. It's, it's not something we like or prefer. And yet, as we lean into it with faith, and we lift our eyes in faith to Jesus on the cross, we are drawn into that essential relationship. But actually, what we see is that Jesus lived His suffering. How was He sustained in His suffering? Through His passionate relationship with the Father. Wow.
Sister, that's awesome. Isn't that powerful? So power draws us into relationship. And that's what we need the most. Yeah. And we need that presence, the love of Father. This is how we let love into our suffering. Yeah. In responding as sons and daughters. And, and so that is, it's this posture of surrender and receptivity and abandonment. And yet, which are hard, whose can be hard. Yes. And yet, there's far sweeter and far more blessed than when we live in rejection or, you know, any of those postures that ultimately bring us into a misery. That's what I think the Christ makes the difference between suffering being meaningful and doable versus absolutely miserable. Amen.
Sister, I love that. I love that. And I think it's important to say, too, like, often there can be an experience, whatever suffering it is, physical, mental, moral, spiritual, sometimes there can be a thought like, "God, where are You?" Mm-hmm. "Where are You in this?" Like, "I feel so alone." "I'm so..." You know? And it's like, actually, the truth, and what, what the Lord on the cross gives us is Himself. And that the Lord, and I want to say this, I think it's important to say this, He doesn't enjoy our suffering. Mm-hmm. He doesn't. It's not like He wants it, you know? He's not taking pleasure in it. He actually suffers with us in our suffering. And He suffers more profoundly than we do because He is the Lord, you know? So it's, it's a deep witness, even if it might feel kind of like we're on the cross, you know, so, you know, "God, why have You abandoned me?" You know, He quotes Psalm 22, which is ultimately a psalm of hope, if you want to look it up. But it's like, even if we think like, "God, are You punishing me?" No, He's with you. Hmm. And it's like, to let Him, you know, let Him be with you. Amen. Amen.
Well, even we can go to the Gospels and see this. Yeah. Totally fleshed out. Totally embodied. I love the passage, the widow at Nain. And here we see a mother mourning the death of her son. And Jesus sees this woman and has compassion. Compassion. His whole heart and being. The meaning of this word is so deep and rich. In the original word, literally, to suffer with, to enter into her passion. And He told her, "Do not weep." He offered words of consolation. And then, yeah, He worked the powerful grace of His life in that. He looked to the young man who was dead at the time, and He said, "I say to you, arise." And he did. Wow. And in a sense, but to focus more on, He was right there with her in her sorrow, in her suffering. And even if we don't get the obvious resurrection, at the end of the day, we do get a Lord who is with us.
That's so beautiful, Sister. I love, I mean, and it just keeps going on. Like the other gospel stories, like, I mean, similar in the sense of raising from the dead, but Lazarus, right? Yeah. And how profound is that? You watch the Gospel of John, the whole, the whole event of Lazarus. But she says, goes there, and He is so moved by the sorrow of Mary and Martha. Hmm. It says, "Jesus wept." It's the shortest line in Scripture. Jesus wept. And He's weeping. I mean, He knows He's gonna raise him from the dead, but what does He first do? He enters deeply into the suffering. Hmm. Of those He's with. And and mourns His friend. And I actually heard of a priest say that the proper translation actually implies He wept more than all of them. Wow. Which is so profound and beautiful. But that's what He did first. He entered into suffering before He called Lazarus from the dead. How powerful that is, you know?
Oh, Sister, I love it. Yeah. Lazarus. Well, even to go to the passage of Jairus. Yeah. This man who fell at Jesus' feet because begging, "My daughter is at the point of death." So Jesus says, "I'm all right. Let's all follow you there. I'll come with you." You know, you just see instantly, He's ready to move. Yeah. This is a man, our Lord, His heart is so filled with compassion. On the way, the hemorrhaging woman. Reaches out in faith. So He's healing people along the way. And, and actually, she's a great example to us of suffering. Twelve years. Spent everything trying to find a remedy. One act of faith. She reaches out. One act of faith. Touches the hem of Jesus' garment and is healed. By claiming, stepping into her relationship, her identity as daughter, finds that healing. He continues on His way. Right. Yeah. And as He comes to this house, people are wailing. People are so sorrowful. The, the little girl's believed to be dead. And what does He say before He even gets close to the house? "Do not fear. Only believe." And He went right into that house of pain. Right into that house of sorrow, fearlessly. And they, they actually laughed at Him. They laughed at Him. You know, "What are you doing? You're going into death. You can do nothing." And yes, He can do something. He can transform that place. And He took her hand. He said, "Talitha cumi." Little girl, arise. And they were amazed. Why? Because in the Living God, in Jesus Christ, we claim a power that we do not have ourselves. Amen.
Sister, amen. And it is faith that, that precedes miracles. It is faith, our response of faith from the inside out, that that enables God and sets Him free to to bring that life. Yeah. Into the heart of our pain. Gives it her mission dome in there. I love that, Sister. That's powerful. Yeah. Yeah. This is what our God loves to do. It's sure. And it's like, it keeps, it just, it's full. The Gospels are full of this. Like, you think of, you know, the crowds who were hungry, that He's looking at before He performs the miracle of the loaves. And it says, you know, "His heart is moved with pity." But I've also heard another interpretation say that the correct translation, it's like, He was moved like to His very gut. Like, it's a visceral. It's like, it hurts. Hurts because of the hunger of the crowds, you know? Where like, that, I mean, so many times Jesus ate with sinners, you know? For us, me, it's like, we hear that on Sundays. I go, "That's nice." But it's like, I mean, just to put in perspective, that's like Jesus going to the crack house, you know? And eating. You know, it's that kind of, like, the people on the fringe of society who we, you know, God bless them, but we love. But in terms of like, societal kind of, mm-hmm, realm, it's like, you just don't do that. You just don't do that. And He did. You know, basically the social equivalent of that. And, you know, and it's like entering into that place, you know, I'm leaning into others' suffering. Yeah. This is our God. To the point of obviously the crucifixion. Right. When He actually takes on, yeah, my sin and suffering. So there's almost like, it is so counterintuitive because I think when we're confronted with suffering and the pain and the sorrow and the frustration and the death, it's like, it seems absurd. Mm-hmm. It seems totally absurd. And it is on our own strength. If we're leaning and relying on our own resources, it is. But this is the dare that in in that place, Jesus has spoken a promise that we have, but to claim. And as we reach out in faith. And I wonder, it's like, what does this actually look like? I love that question, Sister.
Well, it makes me think of the Saints, actually, who, they all suffered, right? You're suffering, maybe they did, you know, but there was the difference between the Saints and me. They suffered with Jesus. Every drop, big sufferings, little sufferings, it was with Jesus, you know? They let love suffer with them. Mm-hmm. Right? And, and in them, you know? And I mean, one of the first examples that I kind of popped into my head was Saint Thérèse, and her dad, Saint Louis Martin. They stayed off, but Saint Louis, after Thérèse entered the convent, he really experienced some some profound mental health suffering, you know? And really, you know, quote-unquote, lost his mind, right? And, you know, you have three or four of his daughters in the cloister, and they can't go to him. Hmm. And, you know, he's literally on a home, like wandering on the streets, like a homeless man. And the suffering for himself, but also for his daughters, watching their father, you know, that's just, that's such a deep suffering. And their their hands are tied. They can't do anything. Oh, deep, deep suffering.
Well, you know, Thérèse lived it. And she lived with the Lord, and she saw the Lord in it, and felt Him actually very profoundly. She would say, "I am that experience." Yeah. And yet, tremendous suffering. It's got to watch someone we love suffer, yeah, whether that's psychologically, physically, yeah, it's, I, yeah, it's got to be one of the most painful things. Right. Hands down. Hands down. Wow.
Or even, you know, there's a new Saint, Saint Mark Ji. And he was Chinese. So he died as a martyr in 1900. But he has an incredible story because he really suffered addiction for most of his, his life. And again, almost half of it. He died at age 66, but really for the last 30 years, he was a physician. And so he had a stomach condition. And so he started to take medicine for that, but then he became addicted to it. And he was seriously addicted. And he would bring it to confession. And at this day and age, they didn't understand the nature of addiction. And they, he was truly addicted. And so he would truly be repentant. And yet, at a point, he was denied the sacraments because again, there was confusion, understanding just really how deeply he was suffering. And he prayed and prayed and prayed that the chains of addiction would be removed. And he still attended Mass, even though he couldn't receive. And he never stopped believing in the merciful love of his Lord and in God's mercy. If you can believe it, you know, again, this is a little piece of history, but in the early, early 1900s in China, there was this Boxer Rebellion. And the Chinese nationalists, they really cracked down on Christians. So many, many, many were martyred at this time. And Saint Mark was rounded up with dozens of other Christians, including his son and six grandchildren, his two daughters-in-law. And he was given the chance to apostatize, but he refused. He, he claimed his faith and he insisted and asked that he has to be killed last so that none of his relatives would die alone. And as he awaited his death, he sang the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary. And again, this is incredible because, I mean, this is a man who was basically, he was in bondage for most of his life, but he, he held, he held on to his faith. He held, he stayed in that relationship with God. He clung to it with every little, with his pinky finger. And he was given the incredible grace to die for his faith. And he is, he is a Saint. I mean, it's kind of incredible. It's stunning.
I actually have shivers. I haven't heard all of that before. Huh. It's really. He's one of my new favorites. Yeah. Saint Mark, pray for us. Amen. But it gives hope, you know? Like hearing these stories. Like, yeah, like I was even thinking of Saint Noel Chabanel, who's one of the North American martyrs. In a French, I do love French Saints, actually. It's not because they're French, it just happens to be that way. He was one of the North American martyrs who came to Canada. I wasn't under Brit buff and Saint Gabriel Lalomant, bringing the faith to the Native Americans and serving them. And it's amazing because he was this really like profound linguist back in Europe, brilliant at languages, brilliant. And he came to Canada, and he couldn't get the language. He never, he never got it. The poor guy. And actually, all his other confreres, they got it. They were able to master it and speak it, and he never did. And just the kind of the humiliation of that, he who is a renowned linguist, but he felt God calling him to be there and still serve the people with his fumbling, like he couldn't really communicate with them, but he felt called to be there. And so it's like this little nest, like he could, what good could he, quote-unquote, do? I don't know, other than, you know, be a priest and and pray. But even his martyrdom was like secret in the woods. Like they didn't know till later. So it's like this hiddenness, this seeming failure, you know, what great thing did he do? Actually, you know, right? And it's like, but it's like, yeah, hiddenness, weakness, failure. And he's a great Saint, you know? But the suffering of that, few suffering, his weakness, suffering his failure, is powerful.
Well, and I guess in all these examples, you just see the potential. Mm-hmm. The potential of glorifying God, of being transformed. One, even the reality that when we suffer with Christ, somehow it has potential to be blessed. Blessed are the poor. Yeah. You know, blessed are those who mourn. Yeah. That there's a promise. Thank God who's gonna be with us. Yeah. And then actually, I don't know, I don't know if you've ever had the experience, Sister, of kind of passing through a trial or, you know, whether it's spiritual or otherwise, and in the midst of it, it was so confusing and uprooting and mystifying. Mm-hmm. And you're like, "Get me out of this. Get me out of this." And then when you finally just kind of turned yourself over to it and say, "Okay, Lord, what are You doing?" And lead me on. And as He draws you through passion, death, and then that resurrection, you almost want to turn to the Lord and say, "Sounds crazy, but when you realize what He's done through it." Yes. That there has been a transformation. You see things in a new way. You. I remember speaking to someone who they had just moved through a terrible time of illness, and it was kind of like this, "Okay, great. Let's go back to to normal." And they're like, "No, no. I don't want to go back to normal. We've been transformed through this experience, and we want to live forth from the new gift that it has brought into our lives." And it's powerful. I think you're only a believer after you live it. That's true. But step one is daring. It's sure. Daring to trust and respond in faith. That's true. To the trial before you. Yeah. Yeah. And, and with Christ, like you're saying, you know, because I think there's, I mean, that's kind of the, that's the posture to approach it with in our hearts. Because that we can be tempted to two extremes, you know? One is completely running from suffering, right? And I think of the images. It's a funny image, but have you ever seen the image of like, those gyms and they have escalators going up? Running from suffering. I mean, it's just an example, but it's because people can do it. I mean, they do crazy things to not suffer, but actually leads to more suffering, you know? And it's in the world often says, "There's no room for your suffering. There's no, there's no room here." I said, "I have room. My room for your suffering." You know? So there's that extreme, you know, running from it. Yeah. Or there's kind of an exulting in it, or like wanting it, or it's like, that's not healthy, actually, either. And, you know, it's like that, that, you know, it's like Thomas Aquinas, I think, talks about moderation, but it's like that middle. And what is it? It's actually being with Christ and receiving, receiving Him in it. Because every suffering, actually, is Jesus is there. Yes. One in that. Two, Sister. Yes. It's like the virtue finding the mean between the extremes. And the blessing of that. But I think, I mean, and as we, we just kind of move and conclusion of such a beautiful conversation, it's just, uh, it's a blessing to ponder this, that we find in it Christ, and we find in it a call to follow Him, to allow, in a way, for Him to transform that place. Because, right, if we deny or numb it, well, after I'm done denying and numbing, it's still there. But with Christ, and this is from John Paul II, in suffering, he says, "There is concealed a particular power that draws a person interiorly close to Christ." And it is a special grace, in a way. And I'm paraphrasing, it gives birth to the interior maturity and the spiritual greatness that we actually desire to live. And that we, we have the potential to then. And this isn't the little things, you know, suffering, the decisions we make, the misspoken words, oops, foot-in-mouth, the misunderstandings, which can become mountains, the irritations of the day-to-day, you know, the food that we don't like, the little things and the big things. Yeah. The, the losses we suffer. Mm-hmm. The griefs, the, the addictions, the, you know, you name it. But He's there for us. And I don't know, Sister, before we go, do you have any thoughts?
Hmm. Before we go, you know, I think one helpful thing, actually, sometimes, because we can kind of live without even naming our suffering or an awareness of it. It's just kind of like this cloud. And so we know something's not off, and we're maybe not feeling joyful or happy. But I think there's actually a power. This would be my challenge before we go, is to actually take time to reflect this week and to actually be able to name that thing. Like, "Oh, I'm suffering here. This is a suffering for me." Whatever that is, bigger, a little, stubbed toe or fall out with with a loved one or sickness or mourning, whatever it is. To name it. And then to say, "Jesus, be with me." And to invite Him in. That's being that's, I think that's my night. Before we go. How about you?
I love that, Sister. Yeah. Naming it is the first big step. And I would say to complement that, it's almost like kind of naming the two different currents that can kind of duel each other in all this. So I'm just noticing attitudes and dispositions that are kind of anti-filial, so like distrust or disobedience or self-reliance or this grasping or insisting or fear or whatnot, versus those who are, that those attitudes and dispositions that are filial, so Christ-like, right? Surrender, trustful, abandonment, letting it be done, this humility, as kind of the path towards which to claim and receive what we desire most in what those places we might be suffering, which is Jesus Christ. Yeah. Well, just draw us right into His life. But noticing, because we're all bad, all right? And not to be ashamed of that or to let that discourage you. Yes. But to name kind of where those tensions are playing out and say, "Hey, Jesus, I really want to live like You. I want to follow You here. Can You help me out?" Because, you know, I'm holding it all at arm's length. Yeah. What do You want to do about that? Let Him take care of it. Yeah. And He will. Yeah. Yeah. That's beautiful. Amen.
Well, Sister, do you want to close us in a prayer?
I would love to. Holy Spirit, Jesus, we thank You so much for being with us here and now and every moment. I thank You for being with us in our suffering. Lord, we ask You to open our eyes to Your presence in us and with us. Lord, we ask for the courage to name our suffering and to surrender ourselves to You, to run into Your arms with whatever we're suffering. We pray, Lord, for an anointing of Your Spirit upon all our family and friends, our loved ones in our life, particularly those who are going through some trial, difficulty, or suffering. Pray for mercy upon them. Let our trust in You. We know that Your resurrection is greater than any darkness or evil. We give You glory, Jesus, as we pray.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Joy to be with you, Sisters. With everyone listening. God bless you. See you next time. Praying for you.
This was Let Love Podcast for the Sisters of Life, a religious community of women consecrated for the protection of the sacredness of human life. Be assured of our prayers and learn more at Sisters of Life dot org.