Thought for the Day

A young monk once went to see his superior: 'Father,' he said, 'I must leave the monastery because I clearly do not have a voca­tion to be a monk.' When the older monk asked why, the younger monk replied: 'In spite of daily resolutions to be good-tempered, chaste and sober, I keep on sinning. So I feel I am not suited to the monastic life.' The older monk looked at him with love and said: 'Brother, the monastic life is this: I rise up and I fall down, I rise up and I fall down, I rise up and I fall down.' The young monk stayed and persevered. - Christopher Jamison, OSB

Could this also be true for all of us?

With that in mind, here is my retelling...

A parishioner once went to see his priest: 'Reverend,' he said, 'I must leave the parish because I am clearly not a good Christian.' When the priest asked why, the parishioner replied: 'In spite of daily resolutions to be good-tempered, chaste and sober, I keep on sinning. So I feel I can't come to Church.' The priest looked at him with love and said: 'Listen friend, our Christian life is this: I rise up and I fall down, I rise up and I fall down, I rise up and I fall down.' The parishioner stayed and persevered...