" Many people seem too harsh order: make friends with yourself, take up your cross and follow Jesus. However, a much harsher sentence will be, which sounds on the last day: "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire" (Mt 25.41). " - Thomas a Kempis, Imitation of Christ, Fr. II, ch. Dec
In the pantheon of highly revered idols of our time not the least place is convenience. Handy man goes through life on the line of least resistance, in jeans and sneakers universal, eating at fast food outlets, for birthdays always wishes of health, because health is most important. Sure that your health! Handy man finds health as more important than life, so both in relation to themselves and others, considers that it "worthy" to die than suffer. Of course - he also suffers. Chateaubriand remarked: "Give the poor man all the greatest treasures of the world, to abandon his job, Make, zaspokójcie his needs, and it will take a few months, will again be handed over to grief and hope." In this world you can not because before zgryzotami, so suffering, to escape - a man so comfortable suffer, but suffering in the slightest will not accept. We can say that - "no suffering is suffering. " This is exactly the opposite attitude of the Catholic attitude.
"Vivere militare est" - says a Catholic. Kingdom of Heaven gets a rape. By the suffering of our Lord save the world - and we have to imitate him, denying to themselves and carrying his own cross. Suffering is a great, albeit a difficult, grace - grace commonly wasted. St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina complained once that come to him asking people to pray for their release from suffering. "I do not know that suffering is the most valuable, as they have" - He said. Festivals Faustina said that if the angels could be jealous, jealous of the people it would do two things: the Holy Communion. and suffering. It's just that that suffering has become a treasure that must be endured! It can be likened to a rose that - one piece of soaring - you can offer to God or the Virgin lady. Of course, you can also throw it in the mud, where, instead of soaring act taken a curse ... Beautifully talked about this in one of his sermons St. John Vianney: A priest
sermon he delivered at the hospital to patients - a sermon on suffering. It showed just how pleasing to God, when Christians quietly tolerate their crosses. Science of listening to a man who was ill for many years. After the sermon, the man began to mourn and weep. The priest asked him what happened, if someone did not do him any harm. "No - replied the patient - to anyone I have no regret, only to himself." "What?" - The priest asks, puzzled. "Father, I suffer from so many years and lost all the merit due to my impatience. And if I were calmly endured illness, how great would collect the treasures of eternal life! "
Few people today collect treasures in this way to eternal life - you need to select the atolls, it is not a flaw affecting our day in a special way. Thomas a Kempis already wrote: "Many are now those who would like to find Jesus in the kingdom of heaven, but the few who carry his cross. Many desire consolation, but few of suffering. Many willingly hand in hand with him in the feast, but few in the post. We all want to rejoice with him, but few are ready to cause trouble for him. " It's just that in his time, it was emphasized how difficult it is to get to heaven - and today, many seem to be unfamiliar with the life of mortification and suffering will go straight to heaven. Nothing could be further from the truth. "And the sins of today are just as disgusting in God's eyes as they were in the first centuries of the Church" - St. thundered. Curé of Ars, urging parishioners to repentance: and certainly the last half century (which separate us from the death of the patron saint of priests) did not change it.
Man therefore has to suffer - it sounds cruel, but oh well falls to do another creature that immensity of the suffering Savior Jesus? "You are members of Jesus Christ - posted St. Grignion Louis Marie de Montfort - what an honor! But how much you suffer for that reason! The head is crowned with thorns, and the members would be crowned with roses? The head is buffeted and muddy on the way to Golgotha, and the members were to be anointed with spices on the throne? The head has nowhere to rest, and members of the delightfully wylegiwałyby the feather bed? It would be incredible monstrosity. "
In this context, should be somewhat reversed cited above under Chateaubriand (although this change will remain in harmony with the spirit of Genius of Christianity): Thank God for being on this earth can not escape from suffering! Thank God for that, regardless of social position, the status of the material, from the good reputation - in spite of everything: we all suffer. Are all sorts of human concern and grief, but no one is free from them. So everyone is in the hands of this wonderful weapon to fight for holiness. It remains to skillfully use from it. The ruler of Albania, Prince George Kastriot (called Skanderbegiem) fighting against the Turks was famous for his great strength. Being under the impression, the Sultan of Turkey asked him to show his sword, which the prince was cutting as the poppy heads. And indeed, Kastriot Sultan sent a sword, but neither he nor his servants, they could not even carry weapons. Angered by returning the sword of the Sultan gave Skanderbegowi that it is not possible to make this fight him in battle so that the sultan is not mocked. Skanderbeg said, however: "I showed you a sword, not arm." For nothing so have a good weapon if you can not use the Zen.
St. Josemaria Escriva says, "to love the Cross, that is able to willingly renounce their love of Christ, even if it cost, and because it costs ..."
But today the cross is removed from everywhere. Battles of crosses in public places, classrooms, courts, government is only one layer of issues. Another issue is the voluntary escape from the cross of the Christians themselves. Neglected is the same character the Holy Cross - that is an outward sign of a Christian, by which in the simplest way professes to be the central mysteries of Christian faith (Through words - the mystery of the Trinity, by the shape of the Cross - the mystery of the Redemption). Cardinal Gasparri in his catechism he wrote: "It is useful and even very useful keep up often and devoutly the Cross of the saints, especially at the beginning and end of activities (...) Since the mark when it does belong, is an external act of inner faith, and because he has this power, it stimulates faith conquers human respect, rejects the temptation of sin and danger of turning from God zjednuje other grace. " How much practice is today neglected, no need to argue. Limit ourselves to the simplest example: if at home (though also, unfortunately, less and less), this custom is still practiced by many people which makes the view of saying goodbye before a meal in a restaurant is almost a sensation. Increasingly, Catholics are also unaware obwieszają straight pagan talismans - throwing angle "no original" crosses ...
"Difficult is the life of a Christian today. - Posted Plinio Correa de Oliveira - Respondent to lead a constant battle with himself to live in harmony with the divine commandments, seems to be something bizarre in a world where the highest values \u200b\u200bin life often is considered fun and pleasing their own passions. Pregnancy on the shoulders of our faithfulness to cross your law, O Lord. And sometimes it seems to us that we lack the breath. " So where to draw strength to carry the cross? The Cross of Christ, the example of saints, prayer, the Eucharist.
First, the Passion of Jesus. St. Francis de Sales advised: "Look frequently to the eyes of the soul of Jesus crucified, naked, bluźnionego, spotwarzanego, abandoned, przywalonego any kind of longing, sorrow and suffering. I weigh that all your suffering, both as to quality and the quantity is compared with his sufferings as nothing, and that your suffering for him never match his sufferings for you. " Indeed, the passion of our Lord, we should always have before my eyes, in every situation helps in maintaining a truly Christian moderation. The consoles suffering, in joy bridle. "Let us ask Him to give us such a reminder of the terrible and shameful death and suffering, we deserve a life in His grace, and after the death of His most holy glory. Who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen "- he prayed St. Saint Bernard. Attained the grace of such a hermit, who (according to Ludolf) appeared nailed to the cross, covered with wounds of the Lord Jesus, saying: "Look at me, and even if your heart was harder than the rocks crumble at the sight of suffering, they have suffered for the sins of mankind ".
Second, the example of the saints. Countless martyrs of Christ bore in His name torments incomparably more terrible than our small trouble. "Look, my dear friends of the Cross - posted St. Louis Marie de Montfort-Grignion the crowd of Apostles and martyrs, their scarlet-coated blood of virgins and so many followers, stripped, humiliated, exiled, odtrąconych. " And today there is no lack of Christians worldwide who suffer real persecution in many parts of the world - forgetting about them, we repeat with St. Paul. Francis Salezym: "Verily, my pains are the rest, and my thorns of roses in comparison to all those who are without placing, without consolation, without relief, they live in constant death, squeezed incomparably more severe afflictions. "
Thirdly, with the prayer. In the words of St. Fr. Luigi Orione, "Do not let us ask Jesus to free us from the anxieties and crosses, because that would be the biggest misfortune. Let us ask him, rather, that we always fulfill His will only, as it will be made known to us by the holy church. " Prayer for obedience and strength to carry the cross has great power. However, "the grace that God never refuses, is unable to make what they can not make the ordinary natural forces' (Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira).
Fourth - and foremost - the Eucharist. The great preacher, Hungarian, Tihamer Toth, cried: "Do not be discouraged, do not lose heart when Christ leads us to the rocky road of suffering and asks: Do you want to drink to the bottom of this cup of suffering? Do not be frightened by this question! Uklęknijmy before the Eucharist and us answer: You know, Lord, that I want ... I can ... strictly speaking ... and if I do not know, you teach me how you love suffering. Give me strength, I partaking of your Precious Body and Blood, may at any time, humbly lean the cup of suffering, as thou hast drank it taking at the hands of the Father. Let that Eucharist be to me by the needs of real life. "
As Thomas a Kempis wrote, "If a man will give away all his property, did nothing, if you atone for his sins, has done little, if the gain all the knowledge, still has a long way, if it becomes a very virtuous and pious fervor, still not reached its goal, because he did not do what is most important. So what should this be done? Given up everything, let him renounce himself, and having abandoned himself, abandons all self-love. " For, "God, we must give everything, absolutely everything, and when we give it all - we should give even our own lives' (Plinio Correa de Oliveira).
But when his cross unite man with God's will through an act of obedience (fiat!), just filled with joy and peace (St. Josemaria Escriva). "If you are willing to carry a cross, he also thee carries and carry the desired goal, where he will end the suffering that there's no end "(Thomas a Kempis).
ed. PTW
Looking at the cross on which hung the Savior, special tours of these considerations have made St. Louis Marie de Montfort Grignion. This great saint, troubadour of Mary, the apostle of the Rosary, was also the guardian of the associations of Friends of the Holy Cross, which founded in France in the course of his apostolic activity in the early eighteenth century. His biographer, Grandet, noted: "Mr. Grignion (...) tried to instill a love of all crosses, regardless of what would be the type, temporal or spiritual, such as illness, abuse, humiliation, contempt, etc. I proclaim this great truth even more effectively their own actions and words." For the Friends of the Cross sent a magnificent circular letter in which the above quotations from St. Louis Marie. The interested reader will find this an invaluable treatise, among other great works of the Holy Scriptures in his chosen, issued in 2008 by Marian Publishing MIC.
Text appeared for the first time in the number 6 (November - December 2009) "Counter-
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