Laying Down Self

"Nearly every family and household have mental peculiarities of their own, which others recognize and appreciate far more distinctly than themselves. The same is true of religious communities, of large cities, and finally of nations themselves. In this peculiarity we shall for the most part find that the weaknesses and unworthinesses of our character entrench themselves."

I found this quote at one of my yahoo groups, Catholic Retreats .  It is apparently from a book titled At the Foot of the Cross, the First Dolor, Part 13.

This struck me to the heart.  It is so very true that in our peculiarities reside our weaknesses, or our "miseries", as St. Faustina would put it.  These are the very things which constitute misery and weakness itself--because they belong to "me", not to Jesus Christ.

I must decrease so that He may increase.  This is the very thing that is so hard for us, because we must give up our sense of entitlement, that is so entrenched in Western culture.  Its all about me, baby; all about me.  What is mine, peculiarly mine--my "rights", emotions, preferences.  We perceive we have a "right " to these, when in fact, nothing could be further from the Truth.

Our rights and our freedoms consist in the right to love and be in right relationship with God--lover to Lover, child to Parent, servant to master.  This Lent I am engaged in a fierce struggle to lay "I, Me and Mine" at the foot of the Cross.

Not my will but Thine be done, Father