My Grace Is Sufficient....

The priest in confession listened as nothing described that root that seems not to be able to be extricated, that it appears without desire, unexpectedly.

He asked if St. Paul had not begged the Lord to remove the thorn in his side, three times? And the Lord said? "My grace is sufficient for thee."

So it is for nothing, the priest concluded. And that the Lord desires nothing to struggle, to have this as a reminder that it is very human. For, when others may come with their problems, nothing cannot say it does not relate, that their problems are due to their not being holy. It reminds nothing that it is yet on earth.

Then he also said, as other points were brought out in specifics of this last niggling thread-root of a major root that over time has been expunged, that nothing must continue doing good without calculating what others are doing in return. And, in time, the Holy Spirit will take over the operations, as nothing would be learning over and over, more and more, to be good, to do good, without counting the cost or expecting return (even if subconsciously so).

Well, that sounded good to nothing! It would be very delightful to have the Holy Spirit take over operations, and in that to be more and more an automatic do-gooder, without exception and without expectation.

As for the three closest to nothing, and for anyone at all, nothing must always do the right thing, always extend good, for God's sake and thus for others' benefit. But nothing must never be apologetic for being Catholic, for loving Mass, for yearning for and needing Mass. And, nothing does have to accept the thorn in the flesh, of the physical pain, incessant and humbling.

Yes, it is all very humbling, and that was brought out initially, as well, by the priest. To not be able to get rid of a weed for the root system that often seems to elude removal, is a humbling reminder of nothing's very human nature. But if that root is pulled sooner or later, then there will be other weeds with roots.

The priest did say that, and also that even St. Hugh who had his carnal-lust-tumor excised by Christ, would have had another flaw to struggle against, for the priest said that saints are saints because they kept struggling to overcome their faults.

Now nothing is very exhausted from all this weed-pulling, root-exposing exercise. It is thankful that God gives the grace to at least desire to get all the root out, ever last thread.

[Photo of Kousa Dogwood blooms in the front Mary Gardens of Agnus Dei. The dogwood by some traditions is said to have been used as the wood of the cross. The petals have a legend, being cross-shaped, white, and some cultivars have blood red in the centers.]