God remedies our fragility

26. Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord! O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy! If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning. O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption. And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities (Ps 130[129]:1-8).

Crockery with staples

We are made of clay from the earth – de limo terrae²¹ – cheap, fragile, brittle clay that is easily broken. Still, you have seen how pottery which has been broken into pieces is repaired with staples, so that it can continue being useful. A piece of crockery repaired this way is even more attractive; it has a special charm. You can see that it has been useful for something. If it continues to be useful, it’s splendid. Besides, if such vessels could think, they would never be proud. There is nothing surprising in their having been broken, and even less in their having been repaired, especially if they happen to be irreplaceable. And tell me, my child, what can replace a soul?

Instruments of God

In spite of our personal shortcomings, we carry within us divine essences of inestimable value; we are instruments of God. And since we want to be good instruments, the smaller and poorer we consider ourselves to be with true humility, the more our Lord will make up for all we lack: The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way: though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand (Ps 37[36]:23-24).