We are not meant to carry everything alone. When something goes wrong between us, we need community. Not an audience or a jury. Not an angry mob, but a loving community.

Loss is a universal human experience, yet its form takes different shapes throughout our lives. We may grieve the loss of a spouse or child or pet or a beloved one. It may be the loss of a dream or image of ourselves. Losses that result from illness and accidents and the unexpected twists and turns of living. And in these and others, it feels like we are losing everything that matters to us.

The risks of love draw us into relationship. The person who risks their safety standing for justice, that person may find a deeper sense of community in the struggle. The person who allows themself to be vulnerable, to accept correction and try to change, they discover what it truly means to be known and to belong. We don't take up our cross because suffering is good; we take it up because love is good. And often love is tied to heartache, worry, or grief.

While looking in the mirror, Saint Paul exhorts us to not think too highly of ourselves. To not be conformed to this world, but to be transformed. To use our gifts for the common good. To offer our bodies—our whole selves—as spiritual worship. To be mirrors of divine grace.