May we, filled with the zeal for God that filled St. Patrick, strive to bring the good news of God’s joy & love to all that we encounter. St. Patrick converted so many through his preaching & witness, each of us can do the same. Where is the Ireland that we are being sent to? How is God calling us to bring others to faith in His Son?

  Besides St. Patrick’s Day, this is also the 5th Sunday of Lent &, before we enter next weekend, into Holy Week, I wanted to share with you another reflection from the “Stations of the Cross for Healing.” This weekend I wanted to look at the 10th Station, Jesus is Stripped of His Garments. Selfrevelation can often be a dangerous undertaking, can’t it? To really & fully allow someone to see us as we really are, even when that someone is God, is often a daunting thought (or at least it is for me). There are parts of who we are that we’d rather not reveal to anyone & everyone. We’d rather not everyone know everything about us.

  There certainly is some wisdom in that, after all, not everyone needs to know everything. But sometimes, as painful as it might be, self-revelation can be a helpful & healing process. A doctor can’t attempt to heal us, if we first don’t reveal to them exactly what’s wrong. Another person can’t fully help us grow if we first don’t reveal to them the problems or issues that we feel that we’re facing. And sometimes, even though it might be painful to admit to ourselves & to God where the weakest parts of us are, it’s often only through completely opening them up to Him that we can begin to truly change.

  As David Knight says in his reflection, “Jesus wants us to know that He hides nothing of Himself from us.” If Jesus opened Himself totally to us, then may we follow His model, opening ourselves strengths, weaknesses, & everything in between to Him. Then true healing & growth can begin!