"Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me" Hasn't every pain first passed through God's hands and only then come to us? It may sound crazy, irrational and abnormal, but suffering is the greatest gift that God has given us. It is difficult to understand this for a Christian, let alone an ordinary person, especially a modern one for whom bodily pleasure is the pinnacle of life, the body is a temple, and not of the Holy Spirit, but a temple that he nourishes and tries to keep beautiful, healthy, vital for as long as possible... This is something completely opposite, but precisely because suffering intertwines parts of the human fall, Christ's victory, humanity and divinity, body and spirit, death and life, it has a salvific form and meaning. Without the cross, there is no eternal life, but suffering with Christ receives the sign of victory and becomes a sacrifice for the salvation of ourselves and others because we renounce the physical and move towards the spiritual. I remember several times when Padre Pio healed people, in the monastery they saw him having the symptoms that these people had in those days. He simply took on the burden of pain to the point that people saw him limping if they asked for healing of his legs, that he was deaf if they asked for healing of his hearing, etc. He was often quoted as saying to the healed, "If only you knew how much you cost me." Everything must be paid for, someone must pay the bill with God. We participate in Christ's redemption, man should not intentionally suffer, but when it is already on the way and when it is inevitable then he should present it to God as a sacrifice. I would say that it is a redemption card whose true meaning we will only see before the last judgment.
I don’t look for pain but I accept it. I feel all my physical and emotional pain is going to make my suffering in purgatory shorter. If I can suffer in earth while I am here I will gain heaven faster. Even if it cuts off one second in purgatory I will be with the Holy Trinity, Our Blessed Mother, all the Holy Saints for eternity. This life is short, even the psalms reflect that. Aligning our pain with Jesus is like an extra blessing. Many of our Saints when facing death or torture welcomed it, they did not run from it but to it. Pain and suffering is a blessing in disguise.
This is truth. As my wife and I walk the Cross we have been given, we have come to see this as a great gift from God. He is allowing us to intimately cooperate with him. Peace
Pope Francis had a good day today, participated in the rite of blessing of the Sacred Ashes, received the Eucharist, sat in an armchair, alternated between rest and doing some work and phoned the priest in Gaza. Given the complexity of his condition, the prognosis remains guarded: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/...ternoon-health-update-pneumonia-hospital.html
Oh how we don't like to suffer tho lol. It definitely brings us closer to God, uniting us to Him. And we pray 24/7. God always wants hear from His kids.
Bummer. I was hoping it was real and an actual gift and grace from God for a true repentance. Like all of us I think he needs to but unlike all of us, he is the leader of the faith so we need him to!
It appears Pope Francis, while experiencing no significant improvement has been stable the last 24 hours. May Our Lady draw his heart to herself and help prepare him for a holy death!
I don’t know if what I’m about to post is a good or bad omen, but I’ve been wondering whether the Feast of St. Joseph will be a significant date for him, given his life’s connection to the saint—such as his own father’s name, the date of the inaugural Mass of his pontificate, and the Holy Year dedicated to the memory of the one regarded as the protector of the Church.
