Offer it Up.

It sounds so trite,
yet truth be told,
it's really all you can do.
We all suffer.
Sometimes it's an actual physical ailment.
Sometimes it's a social ailment.
Sometimes it's a mental ailment.
As a God fearing woman ,
I assure you,
it is always a spiritual ailment.
In today's reading2 Cor 12:7-10,
St. Paul speaks of an evil,
a thorn in his side that is beating him.
He calls out to God three times for relief.
God replies,
"My grace shall suffice."
St. Paul rejoices that he may bind his suffering to that of Christ.
He is thankful for his suffering,
"for when in weakness, I am strong."
As for me,
I suffer in anxiety for the hardships of those I love.
I am learning to simply attend, and love, and bind my sufferings to those of Christ.
I must trust that the suffering of those whom I love is their opportunity for the
grace of binding suffering to the cross with the reward of all eternity in light.
How agonizing the suffering of Christ must have been for Mary.
Yet, in faith she attended to Him unto the end.
And so must I,
for when in weakness I am strong.
Almighty Father, grant me and mine faith and well being in this world, and eternity in joyful light at your footstool.
Amen.