Relevant Mercy

I recently went away for a four day high school girls's vocations discernment camp. It was my second year going. And it was tough. I was working through a lot of things, as well as trying to deal with some personal struggles. There was a person I wasn't on very good terms with at Fiat, too. Yipee. 

Sunday evening, the day for drop-off, Fr. Jaffe celebrated Mass and gave a homily about "opening your eyes" and showing mercy to others. I didn't think it was very relevant to me and where I was in my state of life right then, so I was kind of thinking, "yeah, yeah, whatever."  

Well, unsurprisingly, I was wrong. Truth is, mercy is very relevant. 


A few of the many things I learned:

1) Have mercy towards yourself, first and foremost.
It's hard to show love and mercy to other people when you don't love your own self. 
Second day at Fiat, I spilled my guts out in confession. The priest reprimanded me, and I cried...in a good way. He told me that I shouldn't worry about who I was, what I looked like, and whether I was outgoing or not. What matters in the end is becoming a saint and being holy. I think that's relevant advice for all of us. 
No one's ever going to love you like Christ does. If you want a reminder, the perfect thing to do is kneel before a crucifix and contemplate the nails driven into His hands and feet, the thrashes, and the thorny crown He endured for you. You're welcome.

2) People aren't always who you think they are. 
A girl I used to be friends with but had hurt me very badly a few years ago came to me seeking forgiveness. I did not see that coming. I discovered every person deserves a second chance...or a third chance, or a fourth. I found out that I had been labeling people for too long. Truth is, people are bigger and so much deeper than labels. The biggest mistake you can make is thinking a person's one way and never getting to know the other side of them.

3) Prayer is your BFF.
I was struggling with a lot, and the only thing that kept my head above the water was prayer. I slipped into the chapel when I was close to tears. I prayed for charity toward the person I wasn't expecting to see there. I prayed myself to sleep. And guess what? I came out of those four days stronger, more confident, and more dependent on God than ever before.

And want to know something even awesomer? A foe became a friend. I found healing from a bad experience in my past. I loved the person God made me to be. I became open to His will for my life. 


P.S. All the young women who read this blog are in my prayers. I hope you continue growing in your relationship with Christ and Mama Mary. Keep praying and being loving and merciful!