Reflection #11
Our Salvation Is in the Cross
"Behold the wood of the Cross, on which hung the Salvation of the world!" So sings Holy Church on Good Friday [in her Sacred Liturgy]. In the Cross is our salvation, our strength against temptations, our detachment from earthly pleasures; in the Cross is found true love of God. We must, therefore, resolve to bear with patience that cross which Jesus Christ sends us, and to die upon it for the love of Him, as He died upon His Cross for the love of us. There is no other way to enter Heaven but by resigning ourselves to tribulations until death. And this is the means to find peace, even in suffering. When the cross comes, what means is there, I ask, for not losing peace, except uniting ourselves to the divine will? If we do not take this means, go where we will, do what we may, we shall never escape from the weight of the cross. On the contrary, if we carry it with good will, it will bear us to Heaven and give us peace on earth.
What does he do who refuses the Cross? He increases its weight. But he who embraces it and bears it with patience, lightens its weight, and the weight itself becomes a consolation; for God abounds with graces for all those who carry the cross with a good will in order to please Him. Naturally, there is no pleasure in suffering; but divine love, when it reigns in a heart, makes it take delight in sufferings.
Oh, if only we would consider the state of happiness which we shall enjoy in Paradise if we are faithful to God in enduring trials without complaining! We should not murmur against God, who commands us to suffer, but we should say with Job: "And that this may be my comfort, that afflicting me with sorrow, He spares not, nor I contradict the words of the Holy One." (Job 6:10). And if we are sinners and have deserved Hell, this should be our comfort in the tribulations which befall us, to see that we are chastised in this life, because this is the sure sign that God wishes to deliver us from eternal chastisement. Unfortunate is that sinner who prospers in this world! Whoever suffers any grievous trial, let him cast a glance at the Hell which he has deserved, and thus every pain he endures will seem light. If, then, we have committed sins, this ought to be our continual prayer to God: O Lord, spare not pains, but give me, I pray Thee, strength to endure them with patience, That I may not oppose myself to Thy holy Will, "nor I contradict the words of the Holy One," (Job 6:10), but in everything conform myself with whatever Thou shalt appoint for me, saying always with Jesus Christ, "Yea, Father, for so hath it seemed good in Thy sight." (Matthew 11:26).
The soul which is governed by divine love seeks only God. "If a man should give all the substance of his house for love, he shall despise it as nothing," says Holy Scripture. (Canticle of Canticles 8:7). He that loves God despises everything and renounces everything which does not help him to love God; and in all the good works that he does, in his penitential acts and his labors for the glory of God, he does not go seeking his consolations and spiritual sweetness; it is enough for him to know that he pleases God. In a word, he is attentive, ever and in all things, to deny himself, renouncing every pleasure of his own; and having done so, he boasts of nothing and is puffed up with nothing, but calls himself an unprofitable servant, and setting himself in the lowest place, he abandons himself to the divine will and mercy.
We must change our tastes in order to become saints. If we do not arrive at a state in which bitter appears sweet and sweet bitter, we shall never attain to a perfect union with God. In this consists all our security and perfection, in enduring with resignation all things that are contrary to our inclinations, as they happen to us, day by day, whether they are small or great. And we must suffer them for those wise ends for which the Lord desires that we should endure them: first, to purify ourselves from the sins we have committed; secondly, to merit eternal life; thirdly, to give pleasure to God, which is the chief and most noble end which we can aim at in all our actions.
Let us then always offer ourselves to God, to suffer every cross which He may send us; and let us take care to be ever ready to endure every hardship for the love of Him, in order that, when it comes, we may be ready to embrace it, saying, as Jesus Christ said to St. Peter when He was taken in the garden by the Jews to be led to death: "The chalice which My Father hath given Me, shall I not drink it?" (John 18:11). God has given me this cross for my good, and shall I say to Him that I will not accept it?
And whenever the weight of any cross seems very great, let us immediately have recourse to prayer, and God will give us strength to carry it meritoriously. And let us then recollect what St. Paul says, that: "The sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come, that shall be revealed in us." (Romans 8:18). Let us, therefore, reanimate our faith whenever tribulations afflict us. Let us first cast a glance upon our crucified Lord, who suffered agonies upon the Cross for our love; and let us then cast a glance up to Paradise, and on the good things which God prepares for those who suffer for His love. And thus we shall not complain, but thank Him for the pains He gives us to endure and ask Him to give us more to suffer. Oh, how the Saints rejoice in Heaven, not that they have possessed honors and pleasures upon earth, but that they have suffered for Jesus Christ! Everything that passes away is trifling; that only is great which is eternal and never passes away.
O my Jesus, how consoling is that which Thou sayest to me: "Turn ye to Me . . . and I will turn to you." (Zacharias 1:3). For the sake of creatures and of my own miserable pleasures, I have left Thee; now I leave all and return to Thee; and I am confident that Thou wilt not reject me, if I desire to love Thee, for Thou hast told me that Thou art ready to embrace me, saying: "I will turn to you." Receive me, then, into Thy grace; make me know the great Good which Thou art and the love which Thou hast borne to me, so that I may no more leave Thee. O my Jesus, pardon me; my Beloved, pardon me; my Love, pardon me all the displeasures I have caused Thee. Give me the love of Thee, and then do with me what Thou wilt. Chastise me as much as Thou wilt; deprive me of everything, but deprive me not of Thyself. Let the whole world come and offer me all its goods; I protest that I desire Thee alone and nothing more.
O my Mother, recommend me to thy Son; He gives thee whatever thou askest; in thee I trust.
[Excepted from 'Devout Reflections and Meditations' by St. Alphonsus Liguori] (Public domain)
What does he do who refuses the Cross? He increases its weight. But he who embraces it and bears it with patience, lightens its weight, and the weight itself becomes a consolation; for God abounds with graces for all those who carry the cross with a good will in order to please Him. Naturally, there is no pleasure in suffering; but divine love, when it reigns in a heart, makes it take delight in sufferings.
Oh, if only we would consider the state of happiness which we shall enjoy in Paradise if we are faithful to God in enduring trials without complaining! We should not murmur against God, who commands us to suffer, but we should say with Job: "And that this may be my comfort, that afflicting me with sorrow, He spares not, nor I contradict the words of the Holy One." (Job 6:10). And if we are sinners and have deserved Hell, this should be our comfort in the tribulations which befall us, to see that we are chastised in this life, because this is the sure sign that God wishes to deliver us from eternal chastisement. Unfortunate is that sinner who prospers in this world! Whoever suffers any grievous trial, let him cast a glance at the Hell which he has deserved, and thus every pain he endures will seem light. If, then, we have committed sins, this ought to be our continual prayer to God: O Lord, spare not pains, but give me, I pray Thee, strength to endure them with patience, That I may not oppose myself to Thy holy Will, "nor I contradict the words of the Holy One," (Job 6:10), but in everything conform myself with whatever Thou shalt appoint for me, saying always with Jesus Christ, "Yea, Father, for so hath it seemed good in Thy sight." (Matthew 11:26).
The soul which is governed by divine love seeks only God. "If a man should give all the substance of his house for love, he shall despise it as nothing," says Holy Scripture. (Canticle of Canticles 8:7). He that loves God despises everything and renounces everything which does not help him to love God; and in all the good works that he does, in his penitential acts and his labors for the glory of God, he does not go seeking his consolations and spiritual sweetness; it is enough for him to know that he pleases God. In a word, he is attentive, ever and in all things, to deny himself, renouncing every pleasure of his own; and having done so, he boasts of nothing and is puffed up with nothing, but calls himself an unprofitable servant, and setting himself in the lowest place, he abandons himself to the divine will and mercy.
We must change our tastes in order to become saints. If we do not arrive at a state in which bitter appears sweet and sweet bitter, we shall never attain to a perfect union with God. In this consists all our security and perfection, in enduring with resignation all things that are contrary to our inclinations, as they happen to us, day by day, whether they are small or great. And we must suffer them for those wise ends for which the Lord desires that we should endure them: first, to purify ourselves from the sins we have committed; secondly, to merit eternal life; thirdly, to give pleasure to God, which is the chief and most noble end which we can aim at in all our actions.
Let us then always offer ourselves to God, to suffer every cross which He may send us; and let us take care to be ever ready to endure every hardship for the love of Him, in order that, when it comes, we may be ready to embrace it, saying, as Jesus Christ said to St. Peter when He was taken in the garden by the Jews to be led to death: "The chalice which My Father hath given Me, shall I not drink it?" (John 18:11). God has given me this cross for my good, and shall I say to Him that I will not accept it?
And whenever the weight of any cross seems very great, let us immediately have recourse to prayer, and God will give us strength to carry it meritoriously. And let us then recollect what St. Paul says, that: "The sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come, that shall be revealed in us." (Romans 8:18). Let us, therefore, reanimate our faith whenever tribulations afflict us. Let us first cast a glance upon our crucified Lord, who suffered agonies upon the Cross for our love; and let us then cast a glance up to Paradise, and on the good things which God prepares for those who suffer for His love. And thus we shall not complain, but thank Him for the pains He gives us to endure and ask Him to give us more to suffer. Oh, how the Saints rejoice in Heaven, not that they have possessed honors and pleasures upon earth, but that they have suffered for Jesus Christ! Everything that passes away is trifling; that only is great which is eternal and never passes away.
O my Jesus, how consoling is that which Thou sayest to me: "Turn ye to Me . . . and I will turn to you." (Zacharias 1:3). For the sake of creatures and of my own miserable pleasures, I have left Thee; now I leave all and return to Thee; and I am confident that Thou wilt not reject me, if I desire to love Thee, for Thou hast told me that Thou art ready to embrace me, saying: "I will turn to you." Receive me, then, into Thy grace; make me know the great Good which Thou art and the love which Thou hast borne to me, so that I may no more leave Thee. O my Jesus, pardon me; my Beloved, pardon me; my Love, pardon me all the displeasures I have caused Thee. Give me the love of Thee, and then do with me what Thou wilt. Chastise me as much as Thou wilt; deprive me of everything, but deprive me not of Thyself. Let the whole world come and offer me all its goods; I protest that I desire Thee alone and nothing more.
O my Mother, recommend me to thy Son; He gives thee whatever thou askest; in thee I trust.
[Excepted from 'Devout Reflections and Meditations' by St. Alphonsus Liguori] (Public domain)
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please no anonymous comments. I require at least some way for people to address each other personally and courteously. Having some name or handle helps.
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.