This message came to me while I was in a monastery on the island of St Honorat, opposite Cannes, on a silent retreat with the monks who own the island.
I hope it will find you well and serene…at least with enough peace in your heart to deal with whatever challenges life is confronting you at the moment, if any. Maybe the last big challenge is already behind you? Who knows what will come next? Or have you noticed the same kind of challenge coming back several times?
In any case, with time and perspective, have you realised what lesson, learning, or what kind of progress or evolution, this challenge has brought you? Or if you are not there yet, do you trust that it will?
The new year is traditionally a good time to reflect on what Joys and Challenges we have faced during the year that has just passed… and maybe set some intentions for the year to come.
Whatever your intentions are, I sincerely wish that life will support you to meet or achieve them, with at the end, whatever happens, true Peace and deep Joy in your heart. Talking of which: have you ever given any thought to the idea of forgiveness, whether forgiving someone else…or ourselves? Below is a text written by Padre Pio, that I hope you will find as inspiring as I did.
Sending you my dearest blessings,
Take good care,
Benoit
Forgiveness from Padre Pio
Forgiveness means making peace with what happened.
It means acknowledging your hurt, giving yourself permission to feel pain, and understanding that you don’t need that pain anymore.
It means letting go of the pain and resentment so you can heal and move forward.
Forgiveness is a gift you give to yourself. It frees you from the past and allows you to live in the present.
When you forgive yourself and others, you are truly free.
Forgiveness is setting a prisoner free and discovering that the prisoner was you.
