I read a spiritual reflection recently that mentioned ‘fragility’ and that led me to deeper contemplation about the many ways fragility impacts our lives.
In the physical life, our bodies are strong, yet fragile — injury, infirmity and illness may affect us and our loved ones in different ways and at different times, so we may have wounds, scars, and limitations that unite us with the sufferings of Jesus. Sometimes accepting our physical fragility is necessary and we are called to respond to ourselves and others with gentleness. At other times, we may be called to seek to grow physically stronger to be fit to serve the people and ministries God places in our lives.
Our spiritual lives are fragile as well. No matter how much we love Jesus, and how smooth our current journey is going with Jesus at the helm, there is always that risk of stepping away from him to pursue our own will. This can begin in small ways, such as skipping daily prayer time or not receiving the Sacraments. We may have a life crisis or loss of a loved one that causes us to doubt, to lose faith, to despair, or to be angry with God and feel at a loss when it comes to living our faith. The fragility of faith is good to acknowledge — and may we never take for granted the gift of faith. Let us seek to persevere with Jesus in prayer, and with faith, hope and love, rely on the help of the church and on our sisters and brothers in Christ amidst spiritual difficulties.
It’s not just our relationship with Jesus that is fragile — we see fragility in our relationships with family and friends. That fragility, for example, can rear its head in how we respond to difficult situations — do we seek to hurt others and protect ourselves or does our cooperation with God’s grace enable us to be honest, but also patient, loving and giving without expecting anything in return? Since Jesus experienced every insult and hardship, he understands will guide and console us in these trying moments; may we call on him to strengthen us! Our responses to others can help or hurt our fragile relationships, so let us pray to stay rooted in Jesus and to respond to others with love, patience and kindness, no matter what the circumstances.
We also have fragile egos that are in need of healing. We seek the approval of others when it is Jesus and his way that we should be seeking. Jesus, our friend and teacher, loves and forgives us no matter what. When we feel like the rest of our world doesn’t know or understand us, may we not let the things of the world take away our joy of being in a relationship with Jesus.
Where there is fragility there is also strength. We are a people who are fragile, yes, but we also strong with the love of the Creator of the Universe, the Word Made Flesh and the Holy Spirit living within us. On this tightrope of strength and fragility, may we not lose our balance as Jesus has already made it across and he is holding us tightly in his heart.