Little Getsemani

padraig · Feb 20, 2026 at 3:47 AM

'A person who has no suffering should have concerns about his Eternal Salvation'.

Padre Pio

padraig · Feb 20, 2026 at 5:39 AM

Great suffering is a call to Great Holiness.

maryrose · Feb 20, 2026 at 8:12 AM

miker said: ↑

Ive started to write a bit about my accident- not just the physical aspects but the emotional and spiritual parts. It has been a journey of discovery that im still trying to figure out. I dont know where this writing will go... I thougt it might help my children someday. Ive come to see the accident as a great sign of God's love for me. Ive come to see suffering and tge crosses as opportunities- not that I would have picked it but God had a plan in mind for my salvation.

Im still working on it but sharing fwiw in hope it might help anyone who is suffering....

Chapter 16 — The Mystery of Mercy

There are parts of my story I can explain — the medical facts, the surgeries, the timeline, the physical milestones. But there is another part, a deeper part, that I cannot explain. It is the part that has nothing to do with medicine or willpower or determination. It is the part that belongs entirely to God.

It is the mystery of mercy.

Mercy is not logical. It does not follow the rules of fairness or balance. It does not wait for apologies or explanations. It does not erase consequences or pretend that harm was small. Mercy is something else entirely — something that comes from beyond us, something that moves through us when we are too broken to resist it.

I did not choose mercy.

Mercy chose me.

When the young woman who hit us stood in the courtroom, trembling, alone, ashamed, I felt something rise in me that was not anger, not bitterness, not the desire for revenge — but compassion. That was not my doing. That was not my nature. That was not the man I had been before the accident. It was grace. Pure grace.

Mercy softened my heart long before I understood what was happening. It prepared me for the moment when she said she hoped we would not see her as a monster. And in that moment, I knew — I didn’t. I couldn’t. I saw her as a human being, broken in her own way, loved by God just as I am.

Mercy is a mystery because it does not make sense.

It is a mystery because it is not earned.

It is a mystery because it is not ours to manufacture.

It is a mystery because it reveals the heart of God.

I have come to believe that mercy is the clearest sign of God’s presence in a wounded world. It is the place where heaven touches earth. It is the place where suffering is transformed, not by erasing it, but by filling it with love.

Mercy is what allowed me to forgive.

Mercy is what freed me from hatred.

Mercy is what healed my heart.

Mercy is what allowed me to see the young woman not as the sum of her worst decision, but as someone capable of redemption.

And mercy is what continues to shape me.

I see it now in the faces of the officers who saved my life.

I see it in the hands of the EMS crews who pulled me from the wreckage.

I see it in the therapists who coaxed my body back into motion.

I see it in the tears of my children.

I see it in the quiet strength of Alyce.

I see it in the priest who prayed over us.

I see it in the doctors who fought for us.

I see it in the people who carried us when we could not carry ourselves.

Mercy is not a feeling.

Mercy is not an idea.

Mercy is a person — Jesus Christ — meeting us in our suffering and transforming it from the inside out.

I do not understand mercy.

But I have lived it.

And I know now that mercy is the thread that holds my entire story together.

---

Chapter 17 — For Those Who Suffer

If you are reading this because you are suffering — physically, emotionally, spiritually, or in ways no one else can see — I want to speak to you directly. Not as someone who has figured everything out, not as someone who has conquered pain, but as someone who has been broken, afraid, and unsure of how to take the next breath.

I want to tell you what I learned in the darkest season of my life.

You are not alone.

Even when it feels like the world has collapsed around you, even when you cannot see a way forward, even when you feel abandoned or forgotten, God is closer than your own breath. I did not always feel Him. I did not always understand Him. But He was there — in the wreckage, in the ICU, in the rehab gym, in the courtroom, in the tears of my children, in the hands of the people who carried me.

He is with you too.

Suffering does not mean God has turned His face away. Sometimes it is the place where His presence becomes most real. Not because the pain disappears, but because something deeper awakens — a trust that does not depend on understanding, a hope that does not depend on circumstances, a love that does not depend on strength.

If you are suffering, I want you to know this:

You do not have to be strong.

You do not have to pretend.

You do not have to carry everything alone.

You do not have to understand the “why.”

You do not have to fix yourself.

Let others carry you.

Let grace carry you.

Let God carry you.

There were days when I could not pray. Days when I could not move. Days when I could not imagine ever feeling whole again. But God met me in those places — not with explanations, but with presence. Not with answers, but with love.

If you are suffering, I want to offer you the same hope that sustained me:

Your story is not over.

Not even close.

There is a way through this — not around it, not above it, but through it. And on the other side, you may find a depth you never knew, a tenderness you never expected, a strength that does not come from you but from the One who loves you.

I cannot promise that your suffering will disappear.

I cannot promise that everything will go back to the way it was.

But I can promise this:

God wastes nothing.

Not your pain.

Not your tears.

Not your fear.

Not your questions.

Not your brokenness.

He can take what was meant to destroy you and turn it into a place of encounter, a place of healing, a place of transformation.

If you are suffering, hold on.

If you cannot hold on, let God hold you.

If you cannot pray, let others pray for you.

If you cannot see the way forward, trust that God is already there.

You are loved.

You are seen.

You are carried.

You are not alone.

And one day — maybe sooner than you think — you will look back and see that even in the darkest places, God was writing a story of mercy, healing, and grace.
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These reflections are really beautiful and inspirational. I'm just catching up here.
Hope you continue to recover and to share your journey.

Sanctus · Feb 20, 2026 at 3:39 PM

Under attack spiritually at the moment but trying to trust in God and Jesus and Mary

Sanctus · Feb 20, 2026 at 3:43 PM

I feel very abandoned and desolate

Sanctus · Feb 20, 2026 at 4:00 PM

padraig said: ↑

Great suffering is a call to Great Holiness.
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Suffering much but trying to trust in God.

Agnes McAllister · Feb 20, 2026 at 4:04 PM

Sanctus said: ↑

Under attack spiritually at the moment but trying to trust in God and Jesus and Mary
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Be assured of daily prayers for you!

Sanctus · Feb 20, 2026 at 5:08 PM

All seems very lost right now. I feel worried about my past

Agnes McAllister · Feb 20, 2026 at 6:05 PM

Sanctus said: ↑

All seems very lost right now. I feel worried about my past
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Sactus, I understand. Shame and worry affects us so. For me to forgive myself was hard but with God's help..my days are so much better. We are forgiven!!!
It was my doubts of being forgiven that made me sad, depressed and unworthy. But that is from the bad guy! Not from Jesus...I know He will help!

Sanctus · Feb 20, 2026 at 6:20 PM

Agnes McAllister said: ↑

Sactus, I understand. Shame and worry affects us so. For me to forgive myself was hard but with God's help..my days are so much better. We are forgiven!!!
It was my doubts of being forgiven that made me sad, depressed and unworthy. But that is from the bad guy! Not from Jesus...I know He will help!
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Thanks Agnes.

Agnes McAllister · Feb 20, 2026 at 6:27 PM

Sanctus said: ↑

Thanks Agnes.
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U are so welcome

AED · Feb 20, 2026 at 7:34 PM

Sanctus said: ↑

Suffering much but trying to trust in God.
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I prayed for you this morning.

Sanctus · Feb 20, 2026 at 8:33 PM

Finding it hard to trust that I will get through this

Sanctus · Feb 20, 2026 at 10:10 PM

A very tough day today but am trying to get through it. It always seems to happen on a Friday for some reason.

Agnes McAllister · Feb 20, 2026 at 10:40 PM

Sanctus said: ↑

A very tough day today but am trying to get through it. It always seems to happen on a Friday for some reason.
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Fridays are special because of Our Lord...it definitely could mean something. I hope our prayers ease some of your suffering

Sanctus · Feb 20, 2026 at 10:42 PM

Agnes McAllister said: ↑

Fridays are special because of Our Lord...it definitely could mean something. I hope our prayers ease some of your suffering
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Thanks Agnes. Feeling better again thanks be to God!

Agnes McAllister · Feb 20, 2026 at 10:51 PM

Sanctus said: ↑

Thanks Agnes. Feeling better again thanks be to God!
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I'll be praying tonight. That's wonderful!!!!

Sanctus · Feb 20, 2026 at 10:52 PM

Agnes McAllister said: ↑

I'll be praying tonight. That's wonderful!!!!
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Thanks!

Sam · Feb 20, 2026 at 11:31 PM

Sanctus said: ↑

All seems very lost right now. I feel worried about my past
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Peter, I was watching Scripture and Tradition this morning and Fr. Pacwa was asked about the unforgivable sin and perhaps it will you understand things a bit more. Remember Peter, you are fighting the good fight now and running it's course. Got the end at about the 51-52 min mark.
Scripture and Tradition With Fr. Mitch Pacwa - Commentary on Isaiah, Pt. 54

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Little Getsemani

padraig Powers

padraig Powers

maryrose Powers

Sanctus "Jesus I trust in you!"

Sanctus "Jesus I trust in you!"

Sanctus "Jesus I trust in you!"

Agnes McAllister Powers

Sanctus "Jesus I trust in you!"

Agnes McAllister Powers

Sanctus "Jesus I trust in you!"

Agnes McAllister Powers

AED Powers

Sanctus "Jesus I trust in you!"

Sanctus "Jesus I trust in you!"

Agnes McAllister Powers

Sanctus "Jesus I trust in you!"

Agnes McAllister Powers

Sanctus "Jesus I trust in you!"

Sam Powers

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