Earlier this year, February to be exact, they had read, in one of the daily readings at Mass, passages that resonated with me. And I cut that extract and read it over and over as the year wore on. Something in me knew it was going to be a tough year - 2017. The Birthday came around and it stung.
2017 - I knew you would suck but really...this is where we are now.
My child, when you come to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for testing. Set your heart right and be steadfast, and do not be impetuous in time of calamity. Cling to him and do not depart, so that your last days may be prosperous. Accept whatever befalls you, and endure it in sorrow and in changes that humble you be patient. For gold and silver are tested in the fire, and acceptable men in the furnace of humiliation. Trust in God, and he will help you; make your ways straight, and hope in him. Stay in fear of him and grow old in him. You who fear the Lord, wait for his mercy; do not stray, or else you may fall. You who fear the Lord, trust in him, and your reward will not be lost. You who fear the Lord, hope for good things, for lasting joy and mercy. Consider the generations of old and see: has anyone trusted in the Lord and been disappointed? Or has anyone persevered in the fear of the Lord and been forsaken? Or has anyone called upon him and been neglected? For the Lord is compassionate and merciful; he forgives sins and saves in time of distress.
