Pastor's Pen - August 14, 2016

I get these emails from Daniel Cellucci because of a Catholic leadership seminar that I have been a part of. I have used his reflections before and received this one in my email today, so I am sharing it with you to ponder in your heart.

                            I s your heart shattered?

“The Church Fathers teach us that a shattered heart is the most pleasing gift to God. It is the sign that we are conscious of our sins, of the evil we have done, of our wretchedness, and of our need for forgiveness and mercy.” ~Pope Francis

It was an atheist who once told me, “The only way to be absolutely invulnerable is to be absolutely vulnerable.” That thought has stayed with me for years. I’d like to think that I have never had a problem owning a mistake. After all, I’ve had lots of practice, just ask my wife Tricia. However, putting it all out there and giving voice to our faults is only one part of the equation. With my classic and endearing (or so I’d like to believe) self-deprecating humor, I may share chips and dents with those I meet. But, do I lay the all the shattered pieces of my heart at God’s feet, not because I want to be invulnerable, but because I know He is the only one who can truly make me whole? Why do I hide my shattered heart from this invisible, silent, merciful God who loves me? He doesn’t seek for me to be shamed or embarrassed. Better yet, why do I keep thinking he can’t see it? Let’s pray this week for our hearts to be made absolutely invulnerable by making them absolutely vulnerable to God’s love and mercy.

Discerning Insights About Leadership from Daniel J. Cellucci (8/1/16)

~Fr. Chuck