Anticipations

Humility Wins

 I have been reading about Padre Pio again. One thing becomes immediately obvious: if one does not want pain and suffering, they should not expect to suffer the wounds of Christ, who immediately crucifies every victim soul in whom He has instilled a genuine longing for that particular martyrdom.

None of us in this world will ever know completely everything he encountered in life, whether joyful or mournful. The fact is, you seldom find pictures of Padre Pio with a mournful expression on his face. It is equally true of ordinary folk like us, that we know very little about one another unless in our lives we encountered our beloved baring their soul to us to find some peace and comfort.

Things that have passed us by, all too often appears to have settled deeply into a life causing no little pain of soul and mind. This being the case, let us be attentive to one another as we navigate life, and never miss an opportunity to pray for one another, whether acquaintances or the most intimate of friends.

Our separateness is transcended by God, and we often have the opportunity to know about sorrow in the lives of those we love. We ought to be willing to suffer some trivial thing for them so they may know peace and love.

It is a mystery how victim souls can genuinely encounter Jesus nailed to the cross and suffering every indignity in life. The fact is, they do, in such a way that the Will of God is fulfilled and their consciousness encounters the restful peace of His love.

That peace can coexist very well with the most abject pain and divine joy, and cloisters are filled with people who are cheerful, crucified in agony and knowing the full penetration of the lance which opened Christ's side. Let us give thanks for them, and pray that we not be subjected to such misery ourselves, yet willing to encounter some misery ourselves for their sake. Never be ashamed of the humbleness of our participation in their suffering; the humiliation itself, that we are not strong enough, can itself be offered humbly and unselfconsciously.

Blessed are they who encounter the cross and are not distressed to see the Face of God in our brothers and sisters in the world.

If we get to heaven, we may very well give thanks to God that someone confronted the Divine Passion on the Face of Christ.