Facing Our Dark Side

As part of the Lenten process of purification for the renewal of our Baptismal Promises at Easter, we can't help but come face to face with the "worst about ourselves," our dark side, the one that we wouldn't even tell our best friend about. However, by keeping our eyes on the suffering Jesus, the tempted Jesus and the merciful Jesus, we will find the help we need to accept the darkness as the trigger for on-going conversion.  Indeed, we don't want the darkness to overcome us, to block us from living as a full child of God and disciple of Jesus, so we need to reach out for the grace we need to accept what is, and change, with his help, what we can: to be converted, to change our attitude toward ourselves, and others and find a deeper friendship with God. It's not easy to admit that from time to time we are "jerks", making dumb decisions, hurtful, self-centered choices.  "How can I be this stupid, this bad?" we ask ourselves.  We can get really down on ourselves, but that does no good unless we ask for forgiveness and make a firm resolve to separate our deeds (or misdeeds) from who we are, ask for the grace to leave them behind and move on with a lighter load into the productive discipleship we accepted through our baptism.
Bro. Rene