Thursday, September 27, 2012

The rose is neighbor to the thorn...


Urticae proxima saepa rosa est

That which is beautiful may be dangerous.  That wich is beautiful needs protection so that harm isn't done to it.  That which is worthwhile, one has to pay for.  There is, it's said, no such thing as a free lunch.

What is most worthwhile, of course, is love.  Anyone who has really loved knows the pain that goes right aong with it:  watching the beloved suffer, unable to really help.  Letting go and watching a child, now almost grown up, walk free into the world. 

The joy of the resurrection follows the pain of crucifixion.  The beauty and wholeness of eternal life is borne for us out of the suffering of the One who loved.  The gift is offered, perfect and undeserved, but never can we forget what made it possible:  the Son of God, crowned with thorns.

from Latin Sayings for Spiritual Growth
by Archabbot Lambert Reilly, OSB

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