Fighting a hard battle
This Lent I have given up Youtube, and my smartphone activity has significantly dropped! In place of Youtube, I have been reading more and listening to music more. One of the books I am reading is “Resisting Happiness” by Matthew Kelly. I believe this is the fourth book I have read by him. My all time favorite of his is “The Rhythm of Life. “
In chapter five of “Resisting Happiness”, Kelly briefly writes about Bob Dylan’s autobiography, “Chronicles.” From the autobiography, Kelly shares a quote from Dylan’s Grandmother. She said, “Be kind because everyone you’ll meet is fighting a hard battle.” (Kelly 20). I love that!
“Be kind because everyone you’ll meet is fighting a hard battle.”
We all have crosses to bear, and we need to be mindful of that. I think if we keep her saying in mind, we can follow Jesus’ directives in today’s Gospel more easily. I think being mindful that everyone is fighting a hard battle helps us to be more merciful, less judging, and less condemning. We can act with even more compassion. The Gospel for today can be very challenging to live out at times. But I think the words from Bob’s Grandma can help us to be faithful to the commands found in today’s passage. So, that’s the answer my friend and it is blowing in from Dylan’s Grandma’s wise words.
God bless and stay safe!
In Christ,
Fr. Steve Breck
Pastor, St. Mary Magdalene
