Chapter X
Love Beareth all Things


The Crucifixion - by KONRAD von Soest - from Parish church, Bad Wildungen

This scene of Golgotha, depicted in the central panel of the Wildungen Altarpiece, is populated by small groups of people. In the foreground three holy women (the three Maries) surround the figure of the Virgin, who has collapsed. They are not crushed by savage despair, but rather seized with gentle, languid sorrow. Indeed, the whole representation is characterized by a soft, lyrical mood rather than by dramatic qualities, the only exception being St John, who, standing behind the Maries, raises his hands passionately. But his figure remains isolated and his lamentations do not elicit an echo from any of the other characters. On the right, Roman officers dressed in the gorgeous and bizarre apparel of medieval knights are talking about the crucifixion as an event that took place in the recent past, but not in the present. They pay attention to one another, rather than to Christ. Pilate wears a crown and holds a long staff, and gives special stress to his words by pointing upwards with his forefinger, as he tries to convince the knight in a red cloak about the divinity of the crucified Man. Holding an inscribed scroll in his lifted right hand, the centurion with the red helmet is similarly attempting to convince the nobleman beside him. As far as the composition is concerned the scroll inscribed with the words "He was the Son of God indeed" provides an equilibrium with the two figures on the other side of the Cross. They are Longinus and his page, who, with an elegant gesture, directs the spear of the blind old man to Christ's heart. Konrad von Soest did not emphasize the dramatic element in this instance either, since the figure of Longinus is already surrounded by an aura of conversion. (According to the legend he was converted only after the stab of the lance). Their figures are echoed by two others who are just arriving on the left-hand edge of the picture. While they were just taking a walk, the two men seem to have been stopped by the sight of the three crosses and have diverted their talk from its original subject. Their figures are meant to point out that such scenes were everyday occurrences; for them the crucifixion of Christ and the thieves is nothing but one of the series of executions that took place every day in the Roman Empire. A similar role is given to the three inquisitive men on the right-hand edge of the composition. The figure of the peasant holding an axe is particularly fascinating. He is a simple man afraid of dying, his features seem to reflect those of the unrepentant thief.

 

Some people make perfection consist in an austere life;
others in prayer; others in frequenting the sacraments;
others in almsgiving. But they deceive themselves:
Perfect sanctity consists in loving God with our whole heart.
Jesus deserves our love because of the love He has shown us in His Passion and Death.

 

Note Bene: Bible verses quoted in this Book are from the English Douay-Rheims translation commissioned by the Catholic Church. 

 

Chapter X
Love Beareth all Things

by Saint Alphonsus Liguori

Chapter One treated the Virtue of Patience in general. This Chapter treats it in particular; its necessity in time of sickness, in the grip of poverty, and in the face of persecution. Those who truly love Jesus Christ bear all things, especially in these three areas. And the Virtue which sustains them in their efforts is that of Patience.

 

Patience in Sickness

"If we only knew what a treasure sickness could bring, we would accept it with joy as the greatest possible blessing". Saint Vincent de Paul, who spoke these words, suffered terribly night and day, but he accepted it with such peace that no one guessed anything bothered him. And when Saint Francis de Sales was ill, he simply explained his symptoms to the physician, obeyed him by following his prescriptions exactly, and remained in peace, never voicing a single complaint about his sufferings.

What a contrast is this to those who do nothing but complain about even the smallest ailment and who expect everyone to sympathize with them. How different was the instruction Saint Teresa gave to her companions: "Sisters, learn to suffer for the love of Jesus Christ, without broadcasting it to the world".

Those who are sick sometimes complain: "It is not much the sickness itself that bothers me, as it is my own inability to attend Mass and receive Communion. I cannot recite the Divine Office with my community. I cannot celebrate Mass. I cannot pray because my head is throbbing with pain". But why do these persons want to go to the church or to the chapel? Is it to please God? Don't they know that it is God's wish that they patiently remain in bed and suffer their illness at the present time? Are they upset on hearing this? Then, they are seeking not what is God's pleasure, but their own!

And as for those who say that they are unable to pray because their head throbs, so be it. They cannot meditate, but why can't they resign themselves to the will of God? They can make no better prayer than to embrace with love, the suffering that they must endure. They say they cannot pray, but what more beautiful prayer than to look on the crucified Lord and offer Him their pain, uniting the little that they endure with the overwhelming agony that He endured on the Cross!

Above all, in time of sickness we should prepare for death. We must be ready to accept the kind of death that God has appointed for us. Because of human frailty, we cannot live in the world without committing at least venial sins; this should motivate us to embrace death willingly, that we may never offend God any more.

 

Patience in Poverty

Our patience is certainly tried when we are in need of temporal goods. Saint Augustine said: "One who has not God, has nothing; one who has God, has all". The poor are those who have nothing; but those who have nothing and are content with their poverty, are, in fact, very rich. Saint Paul referred to such in 2Corinthians 6:10: "As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as needy, yet enriching many; as having nothing, and possessing all things". The saints not only practiced patience in poverty, they also tried to become even poorer, so that they could become detached from everything except God.

If we do not have enough courage to turn our backs completely on temporal goods, at least we should be satisfied with the state of life in which God places us. Be convinced of what Saint Teresa says: "The less we have here, the more we shall have there".

Our Lord Himself said: "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven" - Matthew 5:3. In the other Beatitudes, joy in the life to come is promised to the meek and to the clean of heart. But to the poor, joy is promised even in this life: "The reign of God is theirs". Yes, for even in this life, the poor experience a foretaste of Heaven.

The poor in spirit are not those who merely lack material goods, but those who do not even desire them. "But having food, and wherewith to be covered, with these we are content" - 1Timothy 6:8.

We should be content with the things God gives us, rejoicing in our poverty when we lack something we desire and have it not; for in this lies our merit. "Not poverty", says Saint Bernard, "but the love of poverty, is considered a virtue". Many are poor, but because they never learn to love their poverty, they merit nothing.

This love of poverty should be a special characteristic of religious who have made a vow of poverty. Some say that they want to be poor, but only on the condition that they lack nothing. "It seems", says Saint Francis de Sales, "they want the honor of poverty, but not the inconvenience of poverty". Good religious respond differently; they love their poverty more than any possible riches.

The loss of friends and relatives by death can also, to a certain extent, be considered an occasion of practicing poverty. Some people, when they lose a relative or friend, find no rest. They shut themselves up in a room to weep and surrender to their sorrow, causing everyone around them increased distress. But for whose sake do they shed these tears? Is it for God? Certainly not! God's will is that they practice resignation to His will. Is it for the departed soul? By no means! Lost souls hate everyone; and saved souls want everyone to thank God for their salvation. Souls in Purgatory need prayers, not tears. Of what use, then, is all this weeping? What is needed, above all, is patience in poverty.

 

Patience Under Persecution

We must also practice patience and prove our love for God by serenely enduring persecution.

Once we give ourselves to Him, God sends us - on His own or through others - insult and persecution. Saint Teresa wrote this very wise maxim: "One who desires holiness must be careful never to say: 'They have no reason to treat me like that'. If you will not bear any cross that is not reasonable, then holiness is not for you".

In fact, insults, poverty, and any form of trial, only draw further from God, those who do not love Him. But when they happen to those who love God, they draw them closer to Him and increase the ardor of their love. "Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man should give all the substance of his house for love, he shall despise it as nothing" - Songs 8:7.

But why does almighty God allow us to be so persecuted by the world? Is He some sort of tyrant who rejoices in our suffering? No! God is by no means a tyrant; He is full of compassion and love for us. It is enough to say that He has died for us. He rejoices in our patience, because it adds to our glory in Heaven.

 

God's holy martyr's in adoration of the Lamb -
From the Van Eyck Ghent-Altarpiece
(Click to enlarge)

If, then, we are to practice patience in all our trials, we must be completely convinced that every cross comes from the hand of God, either directly or indirectly. We must, therefore, thank God whenever we are beset with sorrow, and we must accept, in all serenity, every event that befalls us. "And we know that to them that love God, all things work together unto good, to such as, according to His purpose, are called to be saints" - Romans 8:28. But, above all, prayer, by which we gain the help of God, is the great means to suffer with patience any trial we must endure. The saints knew this, and so they overcame every conceivable kind of torment and persecution.

 

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"O my God, make me a saint"
Saint Alphonsus Mary Liguori

 

Prayer

"Become not slothful, but followers of them, who through faith and patience shall inherit the promises" - Hebrews 6:12. Lord, You are the source of my patience in suffering. I make so many resolutions to accept difficulties in peace; but as soon as they come, I become moody and afraid. If I do suffer, I suffer without love, because I do not know how to embrace Your Will in suffering.

Jesus, through the merits of Your patience in suffering for love of me, grant me the grace to bear my crosses out of love for You.

Mary, my Queen, teach me resignation as I face the trials of life.

Amen