We sat together at our assigned table, sharing stories to build that specific kind of intimacy that grows between strangers on retreat weekends.
One woman, a psychologist, shared about a different retreat she had been part of, one for Catholics with a very specific cross. She praised the wise and faithful spiritual direction given by the priest and I, assuming she attended as a co-leader and psychologist, asked what she had learned from walking with the retreatants that weekend.
As soon as I said the words I realized what I had done, as did everyone at the table. My words hung in the air, and I wanted to grab them and stuff them all back in my mouth. She had been so deliberate in how she shared her story but I was too dense to understand. She hadn’t attended as a leader, and my question forced her to speak what she had carefully left unspoken.
And this beautiful woman showed how much her heart is like the Lord’s when she responded to the knucklehead at her table (me) with kindness and mercy. She laughed with me and gently trusted me with more of her story. She accepted my apology and, with great grace, answered my question, helping us all to understand how to better love and support people who carry a variety of crosses.
“The Lord is kind and merciful” is the refrain in today’s Psalm 103. In my experience those who know the Lord well and love Him dearly are also kind and merciful. As we draw near to the Lord, He pours His grace and compassion into us in such abundance that it overflows into the lives of others. Thanks be to God.
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listen to today’s devotion
Who in your life is suffering from a particular cross that you can reach out to and support in a special way today?
