Reflection on a Novena

So, I decided a couple of months ago to read a bit of the little novena booklet I got on Saint Therese. I said the novena and prayed. But one thing that really resonated with me in the story of Saint Therese was that she was suffering so much, so much that she couldn’t voice her prayers, she would still consciously sit and be silent and at peace with Jesus. What a wonderful life she led. And what an inspiration to me to realize in a sudden epiphany of my emotions and sense of self that, indeed, there are always people who have and are experiencing life worse. Things can always be worse. And in no way would I want things to be worse for anyone else. It’s simply encouraging to be suddenly aware that life is not so bad after all. It’s enormously encouraging to know that God has been with me every step of the way. Let down your guard and accept the love that God has to offer. We just have to want the grace and the love that He offers so freely. This life can be absolutely brilliant, like a diamond, if we choose what He wants for us. And as Saint Therese displays through her life, it is certainly possible to suffer and with joy, knowing that we suffer for His great glory. We must trust God whatever His plans are for our lives. He always wants the best for us. God doesn’t create suffering in our lives. But it is His pleasure to use it for His and our glory. Whatever happens in our lives, we need to continue to have faith, fighting to the end, confident in God’s plan for us that there is light at the end of it all. Truly, when you are in a state of love, it is easy to see that things can always be worse. It is becoming increasingly clear to me that with love you can triumph over any suffering or pain. With love, any trial becomes endurable as my heart increasingly opens to love and peace. The concept, ‘Die to self, live for others, for the glory of God’ is beginning to make sense for me. We need to have compassion for people who have been hurt so much. “Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice. For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.’