Posted by Evening Meditation
THE PRACTICE OF THE LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST
XXIV.-” CHARITY IS PATIENT.”-THE SOUL T’.HAT LOVES JESUS CHRIST LOVES TO SUFFER.
I.
St. Joseph Calasanctius used to say : ” All suffering is slight to gain Heaven.” And the Apostle
had already said the same : The sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared with the
glo1·y to come, that shall be revealed in us-(Rom. viii. 18). It would be a great gain for us to
endure all the torments of all the Martyrs during our whole lives in order to enjoy one single
moment of the bliss of Paradise. With what readiness, then, should we embrace our crosses, when we
know that the sufferings of this transitory life will gain for us an everlasting beatitude ! That
which is at present momen tary and light of our tribulation, worketh for us above measure
exceedingly an eternal weight of glory-(2 Cor. iv. 17). St. Agapitus, while still a mere boy in
years, was threatened by the tyrant to have his head covered with a red-hot helmet; on which he
replied : ” And what better fortune could possibly befall me than to lose my head here, to have it
crowned hereafter in Heaven ?” This thought made St. Francis exclaim :
“I look for such a need of bliss,
That all my pains seem happiness.”
But whoever desires the crown of Paradise must needs combat and suffer : if we suffer, we shall
also reign-(2 Tim. ii. 12). We cannot get a reward without merit; and no merit is to be had
without patience : He is not crowned, except he strive lawfully-(2 Tim. ii. 5). And the person that strives with the greatest patience shall have the greatest reward.
What a strange thing it is I When the temporal goods of this world are in question, worldlings endeavour to procure as much as they can ; but when it is a question of the goods of eternal life, they say : ” It is enough if we get a little corner in Heaven!” Such is not the language of the Saints; they are satisfied with anything whatever in this life, nay more, they strip themselves of all earthly goods; but concerning eternal goods, they strive to obtain them in as large a measure as possible. I would ask which of the two act with
more wisdom and prudence ?
II,
But even with regard to the present life it is certain that he who suffers with most patience
enjoys the greatest peace. It was a saying of St. Philip Neri that in this world there is no
Purgatory; it is either all Paradise or all hell : he that patiently supports tribulations enjoys a
Paradise ; he that does not do so suffers a hell. Yes, for, as St. Teresa writes, he that embraces
the crosses sent him by God feels them not. St. Francis de Sales, finding himself on one occasion
beset on every side with tribulations, said : ” For some time back the severe oppositions and
secret contrarieties which have befallen me afford me so sweet a peace that nothing can equal it;
and they give me such an assurance that my soul will ere long be firmly united with God that I can
say with all truth that they are the sole ambition, the sole desire of my heart.” And, indeed,
peace can never be found by one who leads an irregular life, but only by him who lives in union
with God and with His blessed will. A certain missionary of a Religious Order, while in the
Indies, was one day standing to witness the execution of a person under sentence of death, and
already on the scaffold ; the criminal called the missionary to him, and said: ” You must know,
Father, that I was once a member of your Order. Whilst I observed the rules I led a very happy
life; but when, afterwards, I began to relax in the strict observance of them, I immediately experienced pain in everything; so much so that I aban doned the Religious life and gave myself up to vice, which has finally reduced me to the melancholy pass in which you at present behold me.”
And in conclusion he said, ” I tell you this that my example may be a warning to others.” The
venerable Father Lewis da Ponte said : ” Take the sweet things of this life for bitter, and the
bitter for sweet; and so you will be in the constant enjoyment of peace. Yes, for though the sweet
are pleasant to sense they invariably leave behind them the bitterness of remorse of conscience, on
account of the imperfect satisfaction which, for the most part, they afford; but the bitter when
taken with patience from the hand of God, become sweet and dear to the souls who love Him.”