"I rejoice in Your love, Lord. But right now, I just need to cry the pain out and I need your loving embrace to comfort me." That was my prayer this morning. There are just some days that need to start like this. Sometimes we just need to cry it out and by doing that we surrender, we render ourselves defenseless.

It is in these moments that we think God as someone distant and silent. But like a good friend that He is, He does not speak because you just need to cry, because you just need someone to share the pain with.

Pope Francis said "Be courageous, please don’t be frightened of crying." I have always been afraid of people seeing me cry. I am a crybaby but certain circumstances need me to be strong. Being strong doesn't mean to restrict yourself from emotions, it just means that you just have to make the right decisions and be able to stand by them. Just as Jesus wept in the garden before the crucifixion, feeling pain and facing fears are vulnerabilities that He shared with us being human. Being vulnerable in front of God is always a good thing.

"Certain realities in life we only see through eyes that are cleansed with tears". When Pope Francis said this I remembered the countless time I have cried. Whether it was for myself and others, it helped me overcome the initial emotions and think clearly on what God is trying to tell me. It does cleanse not just our eyes, but also our hearts. It takes us past the emotional and superficial aspects of things so that we can truly see the difference that we can make in the situation.

I guess, for now we'll leave it at that...