Today, (Friday), I had the privilege of serving alongside two of my brother deacons and several priests at the Funeral Mass of a young man whose life ended by suicide.

Driving to my next commitment, I recalled a Southwest Airlines flight attendant who ended her safety briefing by saying, “Now sit back and relax and enjoy the flight… or sit up and be tense all the way. Up to you.”

Our spiritual lives are much the same. The image of God we carry shapes how we live, how we suffer, and whether we believe there is hope.

Today I found myself wondering: What was this young man's image of God? We cannot know. Only the Lord sees into the depths of every heart, and the Church entrusts every soul to His perfect justice and infinite mercy.

But I do know this: if our image of God leaves us believing we are beyond forgiveness, unloved, or unworthy of His mercy, then we are looking at the wrong god.

In this Sunday's first reading, the Lord speaks through Isaiah: "Come to the water... Come, receive without paying and without cost." God does not begin with our worthiness. He begins with His generosity. He calls the thirsty, the weary, the broken, and those who believe they have nothing left to give.

How many of us; even deacons, priests, or those discerning a vocation, have quietly wondered if we are worthy? The truth is that none of us earns God's love or our calling. Every vocation begins with grace.

St. Paul completes the promise: "What will separate us from the love of Christ?... I am convinced that neither death, nor life... nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:35, 37-39)

Nothing; not failure, depression, despair, suffering, or even death, has the power to overcome Christ's love.

I, and a couple of brothers have accompanied brother deacons who have experienced profound discouragement and even suicidal thoughts. What helped was not isolation but fraternity: wives and families, pastors, brother deacons, professional counseling, prayer, and our C.O.R. (Clergy Outreach & Resilience) ministry. Christ often reaches us through those He places beside us.

If you are struggling today, come to the water. Reach out. Your brothers are here. The Church is here. Most importantly, Christ is here. His mercy is greater than our failures, His love stronger than death, and His invitation is always the same: Come.

"The hand of the Lord feeds us, He answers all our needs"
Psalm 145:16

In Christ the Servant + Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
Receive + Believe + Teach + Practice