My dear brothers and sisters,
I am sorry for not being able to write to you. I have not been to well, physically. I don’t want to get into it so as not to bore you. It is so wonderful to know that our late Pope, John Paul II, whom lived in our day is now Blessed. This is amazing to me because I basically grew up with him as Pope. I always felt a warmth seeing him on TV, listening to his words and reading his many works. He inspired me a great deal. It is great to know that we don’t actually have to wait 400 or 500 years for one to become Blessed or Canonized a Saint. Maybe you and I can become a great Saint as well. We all have that opportunity. I know its not all about becoming a great Saint, it’s more about just loving our Lord Jesus Christ with every fiber of our being. It’s also about loving our neighbor and most especially those who we don’t like, those who may have hurt us to the depths of our being. It’s so hard to forgive. I believe it’s the hardest thing to do in life. I know though that if we continue to ask Christ Jesus for His grace we will experience the healing necessary to enable us to forgive. I believe this seperates what it means to be a Saint with the “average joe” or the “average julie”. Can I forgive God for creating me with a disability and having to endure every day this chronic illness? Is this okay to even think this way? Sometimes I do when I am most frustrated. I want to believe God created me this way for a special reason and I am learning to accept this but quite frankly it can be difficult. Especially with having to deal with chronic pain and discomfort. I do my best to offer up every moment of my day to God as a gift that my sufferings will be able to help others become closer to Christ Jesus. Often through the day I repeat the Jesus Prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on me a sinner”. Our whole Christian identity is wrapped up in this one line. How beautiful it is. Well my sisters, my brothers, I hope these words can bring to you a little joy and peace. God bless you and love you each and every day.
Yours in Christ Jesus,
Bro.Mark
Hermits of St. Giles