“When I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me.”—Micah 7:8
A wise and spiritual woman once wrote to me her thoughts on something we all experience: failure in trying to become better or more virtuous. She wrote: “Holiness or virtue does not consist in so rising above failings that we never fail. In fact, it consists in failing and failing often—but each time, with each failure, rising up quickly and asking forgiveness of God and others and all the while maintaining our peace of heart.” That is real virtue; that is true holiness of soul. Rising up immediately after a failure. Perseverance!
When I fall, Lord, help me back up immediately. Amen.
—from the book Three Minutes with God: Reflections and Prayers to Encourage, Inspire, and Motivate
by Monsignor Frank Bognanno
