PHILIPPIANS 3:10
“I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.”
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PICCARRETA:
Aug. 13. “Pluck up courage, dear Jesus will not leave you alone. It is sufferings that wound His Heart and draw Him with an irresistible force to be together with the creature, to give her the merit of His own pains, and to adorn her with divine marks.”
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BOH VOL 15 May 18, 1923
How difficult it is to find a soul who wants to suffer.
I was feeling all afflicted and almost without my sweet Jesus – what hard martyrdom is His privation! A martyrdom without the hope of storming Heaven like the martyrs do, which renders their every suffering sweet. His privation, instead, is martyrdom which disunites, burns, cuts, and opens an abyss of separation between the soul and God; a martyrdom which, instead of sweetening suffering, embitters it, intoxicates it, in such a way that while the soul feels herself dying, death itself runs away from her. Oh, God, what pain!
Now, while I was in the immense abyss of the privation of my Jesus, as He just barely moved in my interior, I said to Him: “Ah! my Jesus, You don’t love me any more.‟
And He, not paying attention to me, made Himself seen all afflicted, as though holding a black thing in His hand, which He was about to throw upon the creatures. Then He took my heart in His hands, squeezed it tightly, pierced it through, and my heart anxiously awaited His pains as refreshment and balm for the pains suffered because of His privation. Oh! how I feared that He might cease to make me suffer, plunging me once again into the abyss of His separation.
Then, after this, He said to me: “My daughter, I do not pay attention to words, but to facts. Do you think it is easy to find a soul who really wants to suffer? Oh, how hard it is! With words, there are many who want to suffer, but, with facts, they run away when one pain oppresses them or other sufferings surround them. Oh! how they would rather free themselves. And I remain always the isolated Jesus in pains.
This is why, when I find a soul who does not shun suffering and who wants to keep Me company in my pains – even more, she waits and waits for Me to bring her the bread of suffering – this gives Me the delirium of love, and makes Me reach the point of doing follies and of abounding so much with this soul as to astonish Heaven and earth.
Do you think it was something indifferent over my Heart, which loves so much, that while you were without Me, you were waiting for Me, for nothing else but to receive from Me my bitter pains?”
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PRAYER OF THE DAY:
“My Jesus, in Your coming upon earth, the thing on which You placed greatest importance was that we love one another as we were loved by You, in order to give us Your first love, to let the love of the Most Holy Trinity hover over the earth.
Therefore, in all my pains and privations, may I never forget that You love me very much, so as to never forget to love You; and as daughter of Your Will, I have the task to love You for all, so that in this way, I will remain in the order, and will fear nothing.”
Adapted from
BOH VOL 16 Sept. 6, 1923