Living the Eucharistic Pattern: Broken

       This part of living the Eucharistic pattern resonated the most with me and helped me the most. God spent a whole week making sure I really understood this message. It was exactly what I needed to hear to help me with my struggles and I hope it is helpful to you as well. After we are chosen and blessed we must be BROKEN just as the Priest breaks the Eucharist and Jesus broke the bread which would become his flesh that he offered up for us. All of us have been broken to some degree by different life circumstances. Henri Nouwen points out that the unique ways in which we are broken is actually an expression of individuality. How have you been broken?Often we are ashamed of how we are broken and we want to hide it. We pretend that we have everything together and we want to show everyone our best face rather than things that make us vulnerable. When someone asks how you are doing how often are we actually honest and tell them we are something other that "good". What I am learning is that I actually need to embrace my brokenness. Our brokenness is actually insight to where God is calling us to serve him and how he wants to be glorified within us.

      When we are broken it is actually an invitation to a deeper communion with God and it is up to us to either choose to accept or reject it. When I read "Discovering the Feminine Genius" by Katrina Zeno I learned that heartbreak can be God making room for himself in our hearts. That insight was transforming for me. In our weakness God makes us strong. Without our weakness and brokenness we would have no need for God. It is not something to be ashamed of , we are human. Even though I would not consider myself to be a perfectionist I tend to have a really hard time dealing with my shortcomings in my relationship with Tim. In a way this is almost a heresy because I am not God and I was not born without original sin. When we accept our shortcomings and brokenness it is an opportunity for God to increase the blessings in our lives. Please never start to think that you broken beyond God's power to help you because that is impossible. All we need to do is ask for his help and allow him to work within us. God loves to take broken people and restore them to something more beautiful than they were before. History is full of Saints who were terribly broken before they offered their lives to Jesus. If you are struggling with your brokenness our wonderful Mother in heaven, Mary, is more than happy to wrap you up in a loving hug. Never be afraid to ask for her help learning how to trust in her son's redemptive powers :) In order to be shared with others we must be broken first! Knowing that it is part of God's beautiful plan of redemption for us is certainly helpful in accepting the difficult things that happen in our lives. This was incredibly freeing for me and I hope it has been helpful to you as well.