…. The understanding of sacrifice in daily life and of
Christian suffering are paramount. We
must reach the point of no longer considering suffering as an evil, as an unbearable sorrow; we must unite our sufferings and
illnesses to the sufferings of Our Lord Jesus Christ, by looking at the
crucifix and by assisting at holy Mass, which is the continuation of Our Lord’s
Passion on Calvary .
When suffering is understood, then it becomes a joy;
suffering becomes a treasure. Our
sufferings united to those of Our Lord, united to those of all the martyrs, of
all the saints, of all the Catholics, of all the faithful who suffer throughout
the world united to the Cross of Our Lord become an ineffable treasure. They possess an extraordinary efficacy for the conversion of souls and for the salvation
of our own soul. Many holy Christian souls have even desired suffering in order to
unite themselves better to the Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ. That is Christian civilization.
The Blessed virgin participated in the sacrifice of the
Cross. She suffered a real martyrdom by her compassion, since the old man
Simeon told her during the presentation of Jesus in the Temple . “Thy own soul a sword shall pierce”
(Lk. 2:35) You too, if you
suffer, if you have trials in your life, let the sword pierce your heart out of
compassion for Our Lord. Have this
desire to suffer with Our Lord and with the Blessed Virgin for your soul and
for the salvation of all souls.
