Monday, August 13, 2018

Joy through Suffering

To understand how to love, one must first understand suffering. 
This has been a something I have been thing a lot about lately. 
If God loves us, why do we suffer?

The path of suffering is the Passion of Christ.
Through the Stations of the Cross or the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary. But just as the Joyful Mysteries all have an element of sorrow, the Sorrowful Mysteries all have an element of joy.
This joy is found in the salvation Jesus obtained for us and the eternal life he offers out for us. 

From where I was kneeling after receiving communion, I could watch many people walk past the cup, the blood out poured by our savior. My heart was struck with a deep sorrow and realization as my Lord said to me:
Jesus: By receiving my body, broken for you; you accept joy in suffering. By receiving my blood, you accept my love and mercy which is continually outpouring with compassion on all souls. 
Pray for those who do not yet fully believe in the Eucharist, in my body and blood offered. My body was broken. I took upon myself all the sin of the world. The suffering I endured was only achievable through love.

If only all knew how much I love each and every one of them!

Me: The ache of sorrow I feel in my heart is counterbalanced by a rich feeling of love that brings tears to my eyes and a smile to my face, a sweet small smile. When I went to adoration that evening I felt the heaviness of the Lord’s heart as soon as I knelt down in front of the exposed Eucharist.

Jesus: Please walk my Passion. Beloved, comforter of my heart. Learn the depths of joy through suffering, and mercy and love through forgiveness.

Me: Yes Lord.

Agony in the Garden
Me: O Lord, break my heart so that you and your Mother can pick up the pieces and form it in the likeness of you Sacred and Immaculate hearts so that I may feel for all as you do Lord and console like the Holy Mother does.

Scourging at the Pillar
“Strip you self of everything of this world and you will find Christ.”
St. Maximillian Kolbe
Me: O Lord, what must be stripped away from me so that I can see you more clearly?
O Jesus, I long to join you in your suffering, your Passion. I want to agonize in pain like you so that I may learn to love unconditionally. O Lord, to meditate on the pain at the pillar seems too passive for I know it is my sins you bared the stripes for. O how I wish to suffer with you so that I may love you more.

Crowning of Thorns
Jesus: Every sinful thought that was lingered upon with lustful or malice intent was driven into my mind. Sins of omission, where you willfully decide to turn your back to God to embrace the artificial pleasures of sin pierce my head.

My crown looks like thorns, but it is actually mercy. For it is only by mercy that such foul thoughts can be received and forgiven in the same instance.

Me: How? How can you take it all in? How can you constantly forgive so readily?

Jesus: I do not see you for your actions of sin. I see all as the creation God intended. Each a beautifully unique facet of God’s love. It is through the recognition of love that allows for forgiveness.
Carrying of the Cross
“When it is all over you will not regret having suffered, rather you will regret having suffered so little and suffered that little so badly.”
St. Sebastin Valle
Me: Holy Mother, please help me to endure the weight of my crosses with the grace of God. Please hold my tongue from complaining so that I may enter in to the suffering of Christ; in order to bring comfort to the sacred heart of Jesus and glory to God. Amen.

Jesus: Pray not for the world, but the souls in the world. Those who are far from God – far from me. Pray they can come to know me. Pray for those suffering under the consequences of sin caused by misguided choices of the flesh. Pray they will repent and find healing and comfort in my love. These souls bring sorrow to my heart because of the distance and barriers that have been constructed to keep them “safe” when all it does is keeps them from hearing my voice or receiving my love.

O Beloved, feel the anguish of my heart in yours as I weep for these lost sheep. They don’t have to be lost. Who will shepherd them? Who will learn to listen for their bleating; their souls cries for help?

Me: What can I do Lord?

Jesus: Pray for Holy men and women to rise up and care for my sheep. May more come to realize their true vocation and calling to serve God and not self.

I promise all needs will be provided for. All it takes is trust. I will never let you down.

Me: You sound tired and sad this morning Lord.

Jesus: I give my all to save even one, but the lures of the flesh and temptations of the devil are distracting many from the truth.

Pray for perseverance that all will come to find me once the deceptive illusions of temptation wears off. Once its ugliness is seen, then my shepherds will bring them to me to receive love and mercy that will heal and cleanse their fractured and stained souls.

The Crucifixion
Jesus: Accept your death. Come to me. By dying to self on a cross, you unite with me for I am already on that cross. Death will free you from your cross. And I will free you from death. This is the fulfillment of the Father’s will for all his children, my brothers and sisters.

Pray for those lost souls who are fooled in to bringing glory to themselves in this life rather than the Father in heaven. To be set free of the cross of self, they must die on it.

Pray they can realize the life I can give them in “death”. I call from repentance so as to prevent death. For if you oppose “death”, you oppose the Father and me.

Me: When I had finished praying the Rosary, I felt the Lord had more for me to learn. I sat quietly and listened. I had felt the sorrow and tiredness of Our Lords heart so acutely, it hurt.

Jesus: You have suffered, but by offering it up for others you are making you life a sacrifice. For the moment you desire to suffer more so you can give it to God from Mary’s hands and through my heart, you have given yourself up. Do you trust me?

Me: Yes Lord.

Jesus: Go in peace and know you are loved.

Me: Thanks be to God.

The love of God is constantly reaching out to us to pull us in. 
The Holy Spirit is in our lives, guiding us to God’s love, to the path God wills for our lives so that we may live in His love forever.

God loves us so much that he sent His only son as a man. 
He loves us so much that from the moment Adam and Eve sinned, He has been working to save us. That salvation came through Jesus’ death and resurrection. Death will free us of the crosses we must bear in this life, but Jesus, through his love and mercy, will save us from death if we repent and believe.

He is calling you and me, all of us.
Right now, all the time.
In every moment of our lives He is calling us to come back into a right relationship with God. 

The Lord’s heart aches with sorrow that so many believers are doing the right things: going to mass, receiving the Eucharist…but Jesus does not know them. They do not let God in to all their life. Only on Sunday mornings.

Repent…Everything. 
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the parts of your life that you are withholding from God. 
We all have them.

I struggle with pride. 
Pride in the form of begin annoyed with others. A sin because I am placing myself ahead of the needs of others. I judge others and hold them to my standards instead of looking at them with love and compassion. 
The list goes on…

Listen to the soft whisper of the Holy Spirit. 
Let God into all areas of your life. 
Have a relationship with Jesus. Talk to him, get to know his Mother.

Most important, you must repent. 
Go to confession. 
Get into right relationship with God by accepting his forgiveness, accept the mercy and love pouring out unceasingly from the heart of Jesus so that you may be in right relationship with God.

If you do not confess, if you do not let God into your life, you will not spend eternity with God. 
I have seen souls blackened by unrepentant sin, I have felt the pain it causes the heart of Jesus. 
Please accept His love; repent and come to Him.

No comments:

Post a Comment