All Saints Day
Reflection
To be human does not mean to be right, does not mean to be perfect. To be human means to take what there is and to make the best of it. If we can’t make peace with ourselves as we are, we never will be able to make peace with ourselves. This requires the courage to be imperfect; requires the realization that ‘I am no angel, that I am no superhuman, that I make mistakes, that I have faults. But I am pretty good because I don’t have to be better than the others — which is a tremendous relief. If we learn to function — to do our best regardless of what it is, we can grow just as well, even better than if we drove ourselves to be perfect.
Adapted from Rudolf Dreikurs
Prayer
May I have the courage to accept myself as I am.
Action
On this All Saints Day reflect on what it means to have the “courage to be imperfect”. Do you set impossible standards for yourself? What would it mean to have the “courage to be imperfect”?
Suggested Reading
For we are God’s work of art.
Ephesians 2:10
When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.
Proverbs 11:2
If God can work through me, God can work through anyone.
Francis of Assisi
We can only learn to know ourselves and do what we can – namely, surrender our will and fulfill God’s will in us.
Saint Teresa of Avila
I am coming to the conclusion that my highest ambition is to be what I already am. That I will never fulfill my obligation to surpass myself unless I first accept myself–and if I accept myself fully in the right way I will already have surpassed myself.
Thomas Merton
The brilliance of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not lessen the perfume of the violet or the sweet simplicity of the daisy.
Thérèse de Lisieux
Be patient with everyone, but above all with yourself…do not be disheartened by your imperfections, but always rise up with fresh courage.
St. Francis de Sales
If you concentrate hard on the state you are in, it would be surprising if you have time for anything else.
St.Bernard of Clairvaux
If I have any worth, it is to live my life for God so as to teach these peoples; even though some of them still look down on me.
St. Patrick