It has been a good week to be in retreat, with so many people and needs to pray for; good also to be able to reflect a little more deeply on the mysteries of Christ and the way in which they are woven into our lives. The Divine Compassion always stoops to our need, but it can be difficult to believe that when such horrors as the Barron case or the Beslan Siege come to mind or even our own sins and shabby accommodations. However, as St Benedict reminds us in the very last Tool of Good Works, we must never despair of God's mercy. Our confidence and expectation must be alike high because we depend on God, not on ourselves.