Life's Fragility

Almighty and everlasting God, mercifully look upon our

infirmities, and in all our dangers and necessities stretch

forth your right hand to help and defend us; through Jesus

Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy

Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

"Life is difficult.

This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths. It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it. Once we truly know that life is difficult -- once we truly understand and accept it -- then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters...And since life poses an endless series of problems, life is always difficult and is full of pain as well as joy..." (M. Scott Peck, The Road Less Travelled)

"...it is the most honor to [God] of anything that we can do that we live in our penance gladly and merrily because of his love, for he looks upon us so tenderly that he sees all our living here to be penance. The natural yearning in us for him is a lasting penance in us...For this life is our natural penance and the highest, as I see it, for this penance never goes from us until the time that we are fulfilled when we shall have him for our reward..." (Julian of Norwich, The Revelations of Divine Love)