“Let us not lament if we suffer from some natural defect of body or mind: from poor memory, slowness of understanding, little ability, lameness or general bad health. Who knows? Perhaps if God had given us greater talent, better health, a more personable appearance, we might have lost our souls!”
                              -St. Alphonsus Liguori
For Reflection:
God’s ways are not our ways. That which we consider trial or inconvenience is often a route which leads to our salvation. What is one area of personal discouragement for me? How does this quote from St. Alphonsus Liguori give me a deeper insight into the movement of God in my life – especially in that one area of discouragement?

In Conversation With God Vol 2 – Lent and Easter
Francis Fernandez-Carvajal     Pb 609 pgs
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Page 5
1.2 Works of penance.  Frequent confession, mortification, alms-giving.

When any one of us realizes he is sad, he must think: ‘It is because I am not close enough to Christ…’ When one of us becomes aware, for instance, of an inclination towards ill-humor, towards bad temper, he must  similarly remind himself.  If he throws the blame on things around him, he will be wide of the mark; he will be looking in the wrong direction.  Sometimes it is possible that a certain apathy or spiritual sadness may have its root cause in tiredness or sickness…in a word, it has its origins in a state of lukewarmness.