And when
God
sends us crosses, let us not only be resigned, but
let us also thank Him, since it is a sign that
He
means to pardon our
sins and
save us from
hell.
When God does not
punish a
sinner in this life, it is a
sign that He waits to
punish
him in eternity, where
the punishment will have
no end.
If we do not have the strength to desire and seek for
sufferings, let us at least try to accept with
patience those
crosses which
God sends us for our
good.
Give me a soul that
suffers with resignation; there is
God.
The Lord takes delight in being near those who are
afflicted; it must, however, be those who
suffer in
peace and are resigned to the
divine will.
He who has offended
God must be
punished; and,
therefore, we ought always to beg of
Him to
chastise
us in this world, and not in the next. That
sinner
is to be pitied
who does not receive
his
chastisement in this life.
When a soul
first gives
itself up to the
spiritual
life, the Lord is accustomed to heap
consolations
upon it and thus withdraw
it from the pleasures of
the world. But afterward, when
He sees it more
settled in spiritual ways,
He draws back
His hand to
test
its love, and to see whether
it serves and
loves Him
without reward in this world.
I call the time of sickness the
touchstone by which
souls are
tried, because in
it is discovered the
value of the virtue which anyone possesses. If he
does not lose his
tranquillity, if he makes no
complaints, is not
overanxious and obeys his
doctors, preserving throughout his
peacefulness of
mind in perfect resignation to the
divine will, it
is a sign that he possesses
great virtue.
Are not the punishments which
God sends us in this life
acts of kindness? If we have
offended
Him, we have
to satisfy His justice in some way or other, either
in this life or in the next. It should be a
consolation to one who has deserved
hell to see that
God is
punishing him in this world. This should give
him hope that it may be
God's will to deliver him
from eternal punishment.
This world is the place for meriting by
suffering;
heaven is the place for
rewards and
enjoyments.
What is this world but a prison for us to
suffer in,
and to be in danger every moment of
losing
God?
When God sends
darkness and
desolation,
He is
testing
His true friends.
Let the soul thank the
Lord when
He caresses
it with
sweetness, but
not torment
itself with
impatience
when it is left in a
state of desolation.
Unite your own sufferings with
those of
Jesus Christ.
Certainly our virtue is greater, if in times of
sickness, we do not
complain of our
sufferings.
What greater consolation can come to a
soul than to
know that by patiently bearing some
tribulation,
it
gives God the
greatest pleasure in
its power?
When anything disagreeable happens, remember
it comes
from God and say at once, “This
comes from God” and be at
peace.
Sickness is the
acid test of
spirituality, because
it
discloses whether our virtue is real or sham. If the
soul is not
agitated, does not break out in
lamentations, is not
feverishly restless in seeking
a cure, but instead is submissive to the doctors and
to superiors, is serene and
tranquil, completely
resigned to God’s will, it is a sign that that
soul
is well-grounded in virtue.
Our offenses against
God must be
atoned for somehow,
either in this life or in the next.
Having merited
hell for our
sins, we should be
consoled
that God
chastises us in this life, and animate
ourselves to look upon such treatment as a pledge
that God wishes to spare us in the next.
Let the soul thank
God when
she experiences
His loving
endearments, but let
her not
repine when
she finds
herself left in
desolation. It is important to lay
great stress on this point, because some
souls,
beginners in the spiritual life, finding themselves
in spiritual
aridity, think
God has
abandoned
them,
or that the spiritual life is not for
them; thus
they give up the practice of
prayer and
lose what
they have previously gained. The time of
aridity is
the best time to practice resignation to
God's holy
will.
When God sends
spiritual
darkness and
desolation,
His
true friends become known.
When God sends us
punishments let us say with the
high-priest Heli: "It is
the Lord, let Him do what is good in His sight."
And, above all, let us love that
prayer which
Jesus
Christ has taught us: "Your
will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
