Love Wholeheartedly-and Give Your Perfect Imperfections to God

“Ring the bells that still can ring

Forget your perfect offering

There is a crack, a crack in everything

That’s how the light gets in”.

Wise sentiments from iconic songwriter, author and poet, Leonard Cohen. The hopeful lyrics of Anthem  are so apt for the life of faith.

They affirm that we have something to offer to God and each other, despite our all-too-human failures. What we have to offer is a unique expression of Love, expressed through an individual personality and the specific gifts and talents given to us by our Heavenly Father. We are called to love with our whole hearts, and give everything we can. Because we are human, we won’t do this perfectly, but however imperfect the offering, God is delighted with our efforts.

Cohen encourages us to accept and embrace the brokenness that comes with life in this world, and to live with our own flaws and mistakes without despair. This attitude enables us to give more of ourselves, while understanding that our efforts will never be perfect. There is divine power in accepting that we are broken vessels, held together miraculously by the grace and power of God. We need to see ourselves with the kindness that our Heavenly Father sees us.

It’s so easy to look at our spiritual efforts in a self-critical light. Our offerings to the Lord, whether prayers or projects are unlikely to be as impressive as we’d like. Relationships, inside or outside the church, can be difficult at times. People wound us, unexpected traumas break our hearts, and darkness surrounds us. When we experience such difficulties, we are not the same as before, we may struggle with anger, grief, or despair. Our greatest need is to remember that we are loved and accepted, just as we are, right now.

Healing comes when talk to God as a friend and allow him to comfort us. This is true prayer. God will never leave us, even if we abandon ourselves. He does not define us by past mistakes; he always gives us a fresh start. The toughest times in our lives can become the times when the light really does shine through in our broken places and bring a deeper faith and greater trust in God. And when we come through our trials, we often become a help to others.

Begin again in times of discouragement

In his book Overcoming Spiritual Discouragement: The Wisdom and Spiritual Power of Venerable Bruno Lanteri, Fr. Timothy Gallagher unpacks the teachings of the Venerable Bruno and gives much wise advice.

He writes that discouragement is the main obstacle in our spiritual lives. When we see our failures, we must ask God to make us invincible in hope. We can ask God to give us the degree of holiness we would have attained if we had always been faithful to his graces.

“Say with boldness, “Now I begin,” and go forward constantly in God’s service. Do not look back so often, because one who looks back cannot run” says the Venerable Bruno.

“Remember that we do not acquire holiness in twenty-four hours, nor without continual defects and failings. The awareness that we will have many failings, very many, greatly helps us towards holiness because it roots us in self-knowledge and humility, and this is one of the foundations of our sanctification, the other being an invincible hope in divine mercy.

“Be attentive then, do not allow yourself to be discouraged by any defect and be ready to begin again at any moment. Only be faithful to this and I promise you that you will become holy”.

Remember, says the Venerable Bruno, that a single act of love of God very quickly wipes away our sins. So let us focus on loving God and others, and be ready to begin again, each and every day.