A friend was mentioning some teachings that stood out in his mind over the years, that I likewise found touching:

God takes the shattered pieces of our lives and makes a beautiful stained glass window out of them.

God is love. But sometimes we think of the love part in human terms, and try to fit God into that limited view. Better is to recognize that we need to conform ourselves to His love, not conform Him to our love.

When we pray the Our Father, the “Our” reminds us that Christ is praying with us and we with Him. It is the prayer he taught us to pray.

It’s really amazing to read the stories of Esther, Jael, Judith and other great women of the Old Testament in light of Mary. Sometimes the modern imagery is all syrup and sorrow, which doesn’t do Our Lady justice. I have half a liking for this unusual engraving. That’s Jael (lower left) and Judith (lower right), dispatching their enemies.