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The purpose of this class is to

help us to build our lives on

the rock, the foundation of

Jesus Christ – the foundation

of Faith, Hope and Love – so

that when, not if, the storms

of life come, we are prepared

to respond in a Christlike

manner.

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As a brief review of last week:

Suffering is a horrible thing which is why we call it suffering. But if you

are a believing, faithful Catholic than you understand that there is a

value in suffering that we refer to as “Redemptive Suffering.” God loved

us so much that he took on our human nature for the pure and solitary

reason to be able to suffer for us and with us.

“Christ drew close above all to the world of human suffering

through the fact of having taken this suffering upon his very self”

(Pope St. John Paul II).

God assumed suffering and “what he assumed he redeemed” (St.

Gregory of Nazianzus). That raises suffering – elevates it - because God

brought it into himself; therefore, it has the aspect of holiness now. It

can be redemptive; it can bring about our salvation, we can participate

in salvation through it. Sacrifice and suffering, if we direct them

correctly, lead us to salvation, to redemption.

Suffering comes from sin, beginning with Adam and Eve. It wasn’t part

of God’s original plan for us but…

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God doesn’t leave us alone in suffering. He doesn’t take away the

suffering. He jumps into the suffering to spread out his halo of glory all

through it so that it is “elevated” to the supernatural level. This means

that when we encounter unavoidable suffering, we can accept it and

give it redemptive meaning, and we can enjoy the fruits of it for

eternity. Pain is temporary. Christ’s victory in our lives - making our

suffering redemptive - is forever. Keep this in mind. The saints knew

this and it mattered greatly to them!

GOAL OF LIFE

The goal of life is to BECOME A SAINT! THIS IS WHAT WE NEED AND THE

WORLD DESPARATELY NEEDS. The Catholic Church is a saint making

machine, and in her wisdom, she teaches us that suffering is one of the

most effective ways for producing saints as we will see in this session.

A word regarding the Communion of Saints, in which we express belief

in our Creed: The Apostles Creed

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I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the Holy Catholic Church,

the communion of Saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and life everlasting.

This communion is a real and true bond of unity that exists between

each member and Christ, and, as a consequence of our union with Him,

our union with each other:

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The saints understood this communion and they lived its reality

passionately!

Now back to the fact that we are all called to be saints:

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We are all called to be saints, but we are not all called to become saints

in the same way. Christ invites each of us to live out a part of His Life on

earth. To some, his private, family life. To others, His public life of

preaching and teaching. To others, His priestly life of offering sacrifices.

But, we are all

called to pick up

our crosses daily

and follow him.

Some, however

are called to a

more intense life

of sharing in His

suffering for the

good of the Church – Victim Souls.

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Victim Souls (these stories of suffering are rare) - Souls chosen by God

to a mission of suffering for the sake of others. But even though they

are called to an extreme mission of suffering, there is a lot that we can

learn from them that applies to our lives!

1st Victim Soul: St. Therese the Little Flower

I am not sure how many people would consider her to be a victim soul

but in some aspects of her life we can see this and in others aspects,

what she teaches is relevant and applicable to our everyday lives:

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From a young age St. Therese had the desire to go to the missions. Her

great zeal and ardent desire for the salvation of souls was instilled in

her from early on.

She writes about a grace she received at her conversion: “Like His

apostles, He made of me a fisher of souls. I experienced a great desire

to work for the conversion of sinners, a desire I hadn’t experienced so

intensely before.” Months later, in July of 1887, she would be

confirmed in her vocation. It happened in the Cathedral of Lisieux:

“One Sunday, looking at a picture of Our Lord on the Cross, I was struck

by the blood flowing from one of the divine hands. I felt a great pang of

sorrow when thinking this blood was falling to the ground without

anyone’s hastening to gather it up. I was resolved to remain in spirit at

the foot of the Cross and to receive the divine dew. I understood I was

then to pour it out upon souls… I wanted to give my Beloved to drink

and I felt myself consumed with a thirst for souls. As yet, it was not the

souls of priests that attracted me, but those of great sinners.”

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She discerned a call to the contemplative life lived out as a cloistered

Carmelite nun which meant that she would not be traveling to distant

lands to satiate her thirst for souls.

St. Therese, once in Carmel, however, understood her missionary

vocation from a contemplative point of view. She writes. “I had

declared at the feet of Jesus, in the examination preceding the

Profession of my final vows, what I had come to Carmel for:

I came to save souls and especially to pray for priests. When one wishes

to attain a goal, one must use the means; Jesus made me understand

that it was through suffering that he wanted to give me souls, and my

attraction for suffering grew in proportion to its increase.”

In the note she composed for September 8, 1890, she petitioned Jesus:

“That I save many souls . . .” Toward the end of her life (19.03.1897) she

will add that she wants to “even save souls after my death.”

The principle of her Carmelite life was constant: It is “through prayer

and sacrifice & suffering that one can help the missionaries.”

She knew that a contemplative prayer life is indispensable in the work

of the missions. Holy Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, prayer, fasting and

suffering offered up are very important in the life of the missionary and

the “source and summit” of which all missionary activity flows, whether

those missionaries are on the ground evangelizing in person or working

from a distance through the contemplative life.

So along with St. Francis Xavier who converted much of Asia, Pope Pius

XI recognized the absolute essential role of prayer and the

contemplative life for those active in the mission fields in the example

of St. Therese of Lisieux.

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St. Therese was a spiritual master of the contemplative life. She

considered her call and the call of her fellow sisters to be the spiritual

mother of the missions and missionaries. She stated:

“Our vocation is not to go to reap in the fields of the mature crops;

Jesus doesn’t tell us: ‘Lower your eyes, look at the fields and go and

reap.”

“Our mission is more sublime still. Here are Jesus’ words to us: ‘Lift

your eyes and see. See how in heaven there are empty places, he asks

you to fill them. You are my praying Moses on the mountain; request

workers of me, and I will send them. I only wait for a prayer, a sigh of

your heart! The apostolate of prayer and sacrifice, is it not true to say,

higher than that of preaching? Our mission, as Carmelites, is one of

forming evangelical workers that will save millions of souls whose

mothers we will be”.

Knowing that she had given her life for the salvation of souls, and that

Jesus had showed her that suffering (small or great) would be the

means of procuring that salvation for them, we can understand the rest

of her life in this light:

From the June Magnificat about her:

LOVING THE ONE WHO FULFILLS EVEN THE LEAST THINGS

My Beloved, this is how my life will be consumed. I have no means of

proving my love for you other than that of strewing flowers, that is, not

allowing one little sacrifice to escape, not one look, one word, profiting

by all the smallest things and doing them through love. I desire to suffer

for love and even to rejoice through love; and in this way I shall strew

flowers before your throne. I shall no come upon one without

unpetalling it for you. While I am strewing my flowers, I shall sing, for

could one cry while doing such a joyous action? I shall sing even when I

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must gather my flowers in the midst of thorns, and my song will be all

the more melodious in proportion to the length and sharpness of the

thorns.

O Jesus, of what use will my flowers be to you? Ah! I know very well

that this fragrant shower, these fragile worthless petals, these songs of

love from the littlest of hearts will charm you. Yes, these nothings will

please you. They will bring a smile to the Church Triumphant (saints in

heaven). She will gather up my flowers unpetalled through love and

have them pass through your own divine hands, O Jesus. And this

Church in heaven, desirous of playing with her little child, will cast these

flowers, which are now infinitely valuable because of your divine touch,

upon the Church Suffering (souls in purgatory) in order to extinguish its

flames and upon the Church Militant (us on earth) in order to gain the

victory for it!

Now here are a few more details

about her life and the heroic

suffering that she endured which

she offered for the salvation of

sinners and for priests:

a. She was weak and sickly by

nature.

b. Became ill and dies of

tuberculosis at the age of 24

in 1897.

c. Up until her death, she later revealed, that, especially in the last

year of her life, she had suffered a severe trial of faith that

lasted until moments before her death. She died, however, in

ecstasy.

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d. She was constantly tempted to believe that there was nothing

after death. Resorted to writing the Creed in her own blood.

e. Found no consolations or relief from these temptations against

her faith until death but she kept offering it all up for souls.

2nd Victim Soul: Padre Pio of Pietrelcina (see videos on webpage)

Chosen by God to be a victim

soul: He had the Stigmata

(1918) and the flagellation

wounds on his back.

He suffered continuous

attacks by the devil so fierce

that his fellow friars were

afraid to go into his room, as they had witnessed these attacks.

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He worked miracles of all kinds: bi-location; speaking in tongues,

namely, languages he never studied; reading of souls; never having a

day off in 15 years, spending up to 18 hours a day in the confessional;

there were times when he was forbidden by his community from

celebrating Mass due to rivalry or jealousy, or whatever. He offered

everything up for the conversion of sinners.

He was canonized in 2000.

He, too, had a sickness similar to St. Therese: an inflammation of the

lungs, a pain so burning and fiery that if left him utterly incapacitated.

Doctors report that his fever would sometimes climb to as high as 125

degrees!

This lung disease did eventually take his life.

3rd Victim Soul: St. Catherine of Siena

Here is a story told by her spiritual

director, Blessed Raymond of Capua:

The Brilliance & Beauty of A Soul

Restored to Grace

St. Catherine of Sienna by her charity had

converted a sinner named Palmerine,

who died and went to Purgatory. The

saint gave herself no rest until she had

delivered this soul. In recompense, our

Lord permitted her to appear to the saint

I love this story! It makes me want to

offer prayers & sacrifices continually for others, especially the Holy

Souls in Purgatory.

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It may seem harsh at first, but remember "God's ways are not our

ways. His ways are so far above our ways..." (Isaiah 55:8-9).

God is more inclined to reward than to punish, and if He inflict a

chastisement upon those who forget the souls so dear to His Heart, He

shows Himself truly grateful towards those who assist Him in the

person of His suffering spouses. In recompense He will one day say to

them,

“Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess the kingdom which is

prepared for you. You have exercised mercy towards your necessitous

and suffering brethren; Amen, I say to you, as long as you did it to one

of these my least brethren, you did it to Me” (Matthew 25: 40).

Very often in this life Jesus rewards compassionate and charitable souls

by the bestowal of many favors. St. Catherine of Sienna by her charity

had converted a sinner named Palmerine, who died and went to

Purgatory.

The saint gave herself no rest, until she had delivered this soul. In

recompense, our Lord permitted her to appear to the saint, or rather

our Savior Himself showed her to His servant, as a glorious conquest of

her Charity. Blessed Raymond thus gives the details:

In the middle of the 14th Century, when St. Catherine edified her native

city by all sorts of works of mercy, a woman named Palmerine, after

having been the object of her tenderest charity, conceived a secret

aversion towards her benefactors, which even degenerated into

implacable hatred. No longer able to see or listen to the saint, the

ungrateful Palmerine, embittered against the servant of God, ceased

not to blacken her reputation by the most atrocious calumnies.

Catherine did all in her power to conciliate her, but in vain. Then, seeing

that her kindness, her humility, her benefits served but to exite the fury

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of this unfortunate woman, she earnestly implored God to vouchsafe

Himself to move her obdurate heart.

God heard her prayer by striking Palmerine with a mortal malady; but

this chastisement did not suffice to make her enter into herself. In

return for all the tender care which the saint lavished upon her, the

wretched woman loaded her with insults and drove her from her

presence. Meanwhile, her end approached, and a priest was called to

administer the last Sacraments. The sick person was unfit to receive

them, on account of the hatred which she nourished, and which she

refused to give up. On hearing this, and seeing that the unfortunate

creature had already one foot in Hell, Catherine shed a torrent of tears

and was inconsolable. For three days and three nights she ceased not

to supplicate God on her behalf, adding fasting to prayer.

“What! Lord,” she said, “will you allow this soul to be lost on my

account? I conjure you, grant me at any price her conversion and her

salvation. Punish me for her sin, of which I am the occasion: it is not

her, but me, the chastisement should strike. Lord, refuse me not the

grace which I ask of you. I shall not leave you until I shall have obtained

it. In the name of your Goodness, of your Mercy, I conjure you, most

merciful Savior, not to permit the soul of my sister to leave her body

until it has been restored to your grace.”

Her prayer, adds her biographer, was so powerful, that she prevented

the sick woman from dying. Her agony lasted for three days and three

nights, to the great astonishment of her nurses. Catherine during this

time continued to intercede, and ended by gaining the victory. God

could no longer resist, and worked a miracle of mercy. A ray of

heavenly light penetrated the heart of the dying woman, showed her,

her fault, and nerved her to repentance. The saint, to whom God

revealed this, hastened to her side. As soon as the sick person saw her,

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she gave her every possible mark of friendship and respect, accused

herself aloud of her fault, received with piety the last Sacraments, and

died in the grace of God.

Notwithstanding the sincerity of her conversion, it was to be feared

that a sinner who had barely escaped Hell would have to undergo a

severe Purgatory. The charitable Catherine continued to do all in her

power to hasten the moment when Palmerine would be admitted to

the glory of Paradise.

So much Charity could not fail to meet its reward. “Our Lord,” writes

Blessed Raymond, “showed to His spouse that soul saved by her

prayers. It was so brilliant, that she told me she could find no words

capable of expressing its beauty. It was not yet admitted to the glory of

the Beatific Vision, but had that brightness which creation and the

grace of baptism imparts.

Our Lord said to her, “Behold, my daughter, this lost soul which you

have found.” And He added, “Does she not appear to you most

beautiful and precious? Who would not endure all sorts of suffering to

save a creature so perfect and introduce it into eternal life? If I who am

the Supreme Beauty, from whom all beauty emanates, have been so far

captivated by the beauty of souls as to descend upon earth and shed

My Blood to redeem them; with how much greater reason should you

not labor one for another, that such admirable creatures be not lost. If I

have showed you this soul, it was so that you should be all the more

zealous in all that concerns the salvation of souls?

Original Source: PURGATORY EXPLAINED BY THE LIVES AND LEGENDS OF THE SAINTS

But why suffering?

Let us have another saint answer the question for us:

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St. Peter Julian Eymard:

“One of the chief purposes of suffering, intended by our Lord who

sends it, is to purify the soul so that, detached from earthly good and

joys, it may give itself entirely to divine love. Suffering therefore brings

on the blossoming of holiness.”

Let us listen to Alexander Solzhenitsyn, an atheist Marxist, who,

through his suffering in the gulag, was led back to Christianity.

Definition of GULAG: a system of labor camps maintained in the Soviet

Union from 1930 to 1955 in which many people died. It is also, a camp

in the Gulag system, or any political labor camp.

He says this,

“The gulag became for me a prolonged period of meditation for my

own responsibility for evil…I had become convinced, like Boris Kornfeld

(a Jewish physician and convert to Christianity, whom he met while

imprisoned) that there is no punishment that comes in life that is not

deserved…it was granted to me to carry away from my prison

years…how a human being becomes evil, and how good…and it was

only when I lay rotting there on prison straw that I sensed within myself

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the first stirrings of good. Gradually, it was disclosed to me that the line

separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between

classes, nor between political parties either—but right through every

human heart—and through all human hearts. The line shifts and

oscillates inside of us with the years. And even when the heart is

overwhelmed by evil, one small bridgehead of good is retained. And

even in the best of all hearts, there remains an uprooted small corner

of evil.”

Even though God,

sends or allows

suffering in our lives,

He never gives us a

cross so heavy that

we cannot bear it.

But, where do we get

the grace for this?

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The strength to live this way will come from the grace we receive in our

personal prayer time and from our union with Jesus in the Mass & Holy

Communion. This is because the Mass is a sacrifice, the place where we

offer ourselves, in, with and through Christ to the Father and It is also a

sacred sacrificial meal where we receive the help and strength we need

to go on carrying our daily crosses and selflessly giving of ourselves in

the forthcoming week (to benefit from this we must be in the State of

Grace).

The Eucharist is the Sacred Heart of Jesus burning with sacrificial love.

When we receive Jesus in the Eucharist, in the state of grace, and with

the right dispositions, we are filled with that same sacrificial love, in the

measure of our openness. We are enabled to love sacrificially more and

more as we progress in the life of grace.

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Here are some quotes about the grace we receive in the sacraments,

especially the Eucharist:

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And listen to the words of Jesus:

Many saints experienced the closeness of Jesus and his strength at the

moment of their martyrdom:

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1. St. Lawrence: “Turn me over, I am done on this side.”

The Church celebrates the life and ministry of an early deacon and

martyr, St. Lawrence (Laurence), who was born in 225 in Spain and died

on this day in Rome in 258.

Lawrence was one of seven deacons who were in charge of giving help

to the poor and the needy in Rome. Emperor Valerian began a

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persecution aimed generally at the clergy and well to do Christians.

The bishop, Sixtus, was caught up in it and he was condemned to death.

The Roman prefect, knowing that Lawrence was the chief financial

officer, promised that he would set Lawrence free if Lawrence would

turn over all of the Church’s wealth which was being used to support

the poor, the elderly and the sick. Lawrence agreed, but said that it

would take him three days to get it all together. Lawrence placed all the

money into the hands of trustworthy stewards, and then Lawrence

then gathered the sick, the elderly, the poor, the widows and orphans

of the congregation, and presented them to the prefect, saying: “These

are the treasures of the Church.” Less than amused, the prefect

condemned Lawrence to death. Lawrence was tied on top of an iron

grill over a slow fire that roasted his flesh. As he was being roasted

alive, Lawrence told his executioner, “turn me over, I'm done on this

side!”

2. Saint Tarsicius (martyr 3rd Century)

Feast Day: August 15

According to an ancient

tradition, Tarsicius was a

youthful acolyte who

assisted regularly at Mass

in Rome during the fierce

persecution under

Valerian. One day, the

priest sought someone to carry the Eucharist to prisoners and the sick,

and Tarsicius volunteered. When the priest objected that he was too

young for such a dangerous task, Tarsicius insisted, “My youth will be

the best shield for the Eucharist.”

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The Hosts were placed in a small linen bag which Tarcisius placed next

to his chest. On his way through the streets of Rome, he met some

pagan friends, who were curious about the mysterious bundle he was

clutching. When he refused to answer, they became suspicious that he

might be a Christian. They began to abuse and berate him. A mob

formed, and they began to pelt Tarsicius with sticks and stones. At last,

the youth, still holding tightly to the consecrated Hosts, fell to the

ground unconscious. A sympathetic nearby guard picked him up and

carried him to the priest. Tarsicius died soon afterward.

When they undressed him to prepare his body for burial, the Hosts in

the little bag were gone. They had seemingly become one with his

own flesh. He was so united with Christ in his suffering!

Pope Saint Damascus wrote a moving poem about him in the 4th

Century. He is the patron saint of Altar Servers.

3. St. Ignatius of

Antioch

writing in his letters

how he wanted to be

chewed to bits so

that, in this grinding

by their teeth, he may

be ground into the

Eucharist!

The following is a summary of his heroic witness in the face of

martyrdom:

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The Mysticism of St. Ignatius of Antioch

By Brother Ignatius Schweitzer, OP

Sometime around 117 AD, if you had been able to survey the hundreds

of miles of Roman roads leading from Syrian Antioch (in what is now

southeast Turkey) to Rome, many strange sights would have greeted

you. But one of the strangest would have been a detail of ten sullen

guards leading an aged prisoner.

Redemptive Sacrifice

By willingly facing and even desiring martyrdom, Ignatius revealed that

his spirituality was marked by the notion of sacrificial offering. Ignatius

saw his impending martyrdom as united to Christ’s offering on Calvary

and hence as participating in the redemptive efficacy of the Cross.

Jesus’ Passion certainly bore sufficient fruit for the redemption of the

whole world. Yet in raising Christians to the dignity of sons and

daughters, the Father has granted them the privilege of sharing in His

work by applying these fruits toward their own salvation and the

salvation of others. Participation in Christ’s sacrifice is wholly by grace

and is itself a fruit of the Passion, so that there remains an infinite gulf

between the work of Christ and those who share in it. Nevertheless,

their participation is real and mysteriously efficacious.

Referring to the vine and the branches, Ignatius proposed the image of

the tree of the Cross and its branches. He considered those who are

planted by the Father as “branches of the Cross, and their fruit [as]

imperishable — the same Cross by which He, through His suffering,

calls you who are His members” (Trallians 11.2). Not only can we bear

fruit in others’ lives by our material assistance, evangelism, and prayers,

but our sufferings can also be offered in union with Christ for the sake

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of others. Ignatius wrote to the Ephesians, “I am a humble sacrifice for

you and I dedicate myself to you Ephesians” (8.1).

Once again, the Eucharist was at the heart of Ignatius’s thinking. He

implored the Church of Rome: “Grant me nothing more than to be

poured out as an offering to God while there is still an altar ready, so

that in love you may form a chorus and sing to the Father in Jesus

Christ” (2.2). The reference to the altar and singing chorus seems to be

a conscious allusion to the early Mass. Because the Mass truly makes

Christ’s sacrifice present on the altar under the appearance of bread

and wine, the Christian can unite his own sufferings to Christ’s in the

offering of the Mass. Ignatius encouraged the Church of Rome to see

his death as a sacrifice of praise to the Father in Jesus: like the offering

of the Mass, they ought to respond with song.

Christ’s Indwelling

Watching for a while, you would have observed that the old man was

kind in his manner toward the guards while they were cruel, and that

they became more cruel the more he was kind, resisting any impulse to

sympathize with or even to acknowledge the humanity of the man in

their charge.

You would have seen in every town through which they passed people

thronged about this group, many weeping, some kneeling as he passed

them, while others called to the old man for blessings and prayers. You

would have seen people offering food and drink and every comfort

possible to the resentful guards, who took what they needed or

wanted, but who seemed most anxious to get this trip over with. And

when the strange group halted in a town for the night, you would have

seen that the weary old man did not make sleep his first concern;

instead, for as long as the guards would let him, he dictated letters to

any trusted secretary that could get close to him.

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The old man was Saint Ignatius and the road he was traveling was his

last, for his destination was not merely Rome, but the arena, and the

claws and jaws of lions. The fruit of Ignatius’s life blossomed from his

mysticism. Communion with the indwelling Christ generated his insight

as an apologist. Participation in Christ’s Passion inflamed his zeal as a

martyr. Imitation of God’s silent redemptive deeds made him a model

bishop.

As Ignatius traveled toward his martyrdom, he wrote seven inspiring

letters to various churches. In them, Ignatius defended Christ’s divinity,

Christ’s humanity (against the Docetists), the Eucharist as the true Flesh

and Blood of Christ, the God-given authority of the bishop, and the

necessity of the visible unity of the Church. Ignatius’s apology was

anchored in the presence of Christ dwelling within him. In referring to

the mysteries of Christ, he noted that he hoped the Lord Himself would

reveal more to him (Letter to the Ephesians 20.2; cf. Letter to Polycarp

2.2).

Through an interior mystical dialogue, Ignatius received a deeper

insight into the Faith, though this is no reason to boast: “I have many

deep thoughts in God, but I take my own measure, lest I perish by

boasting…. For I myself, though I am in chains and can comprehend

heavenly things, the ranks of the angels and the hierarchy of

principalities, things visible and invisible, for all this I am not yet a

disciple” (Trallians 4.1, 5.2). This interior dialogue was so significant for

Ignatius that he began every letter by identifying himself as

“Theophorus,” meaning both “God-bearer” and “God-inspired.”

Ignatius’s inspiration followed from bearing God within. He wrote of

the “living water in me, which speaks and says inside me, ‘Come to the

Father’” (Romans 7.2).

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Ignatius proposed what is commonly called “the practice of the

presence of God.” He encouraged the Church of Ephesus to “do

everything with the knowledge that He dwells in us, in order that we

may be His temples, and He may be in us as our God — as, in fact, He

really is” (15.3). Christ constantly dwells within every baptized believer

who is in a state of grace, whether or not one happens to be aware of it

at a given moment. Yet it is the frequent and even habitual recognition

of this reality that results in growing intimacy with Christ and

immersion in His mysteries. This communion with Christ is what gave

Ignatius the desire and strength to face the lions in martyrdom. He

wrote to the Smyrnaeans: “‘with the beasts’ means ‘with God.’ Only let

it be in the name of Jesus Christ, that I may suffer together with Him! I

endure everything because He Himself, Who is perfect man, empowers

me” (4.2).

Such profound communion based on continual prayer is no easy

endeavor. However, Ignatius alluded to two aids to this practice. First,

in the frequent reception of the Eucharist, Jesus’ substantial presence

renews and invigorates His constant spiritual presence within. So

Ignatius encouraged the Ephesians to “abide in Christ Jesus physically

and spiritually” (10.3). The physical Eucharist ensures the spiritual

communion that can be recalled throughout the day. Second, praying

the name of Jesus throughout the day can trigger a keen awareness of

His presence within one’s heart. A legend concerning Ignatius arose by

the Middle Ages that perhaps reveals how committed he was to the

invocation of the Name. In the midst of being torn to pieces by the

lions, Ignatius continued to cry out, “Jesus!” Onlookers asked why he

kept doing this. Ignatius replied that “Jesus” was inscribed in his heart.

After his death, the executioners cut open his heart, and looking within

found inscribed in gold everywhere: “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.”

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The Silent Deeds of God and Man

Ignatius’s service and example to his flock as bishop flowed from his

familiarity with God’s own solicitude for His people and the mystery of

God’s silent deeds. After all, God is the true bishop of all (Magnesians

3.1). Ignatius praised the bishop of Philadelphia who “accomplishe[d]

more through silence than others do by talking” (Philippians 1.1).

Ignatius insisted that “the more anyone observes that the bishop is

silent, the more one should fear him. For everyone whom the Master of

the house sends to manage his own house we must welcome as we

would the one who sent him” (Ephesians 6.1). The bishop’s silence

should be received as one would receive the Master’s own silence.

What is it about this silence that is so valuable?

Actions speak louder than words. For Ignatius, words had an illusory

character while deeds really existed. He recognized the tendency of

fallen human nature to speak lofty words or to think more highly of

oneself than is warranted. Ignatius found the same tendency even in

himself. So he spoke of a desire for martyrdom, but at the same time

he was not entirely confident of his own words. Of course, as he was

writing, he seemed to be resolute in enduring martyrdom, but how

would he act when he was in the arena and felt the warm breath of the

lions pulsating over him, their next meal? He often asked whether he

would prove to be a disciple in reality or just call himself one. Hence, “it

is better to be silent and to be, than to talk and not be” (Ephesians

15.1). Words often have a fleeting character, while deeds accomplished

in Jesus’ name bear something of an everlasting quality. Ignatius urged

his fellow bishop, Polycarp, to perform a charitable deed so “that [he,

Polycarp] may be glorified by an eternal deed” (Polycarp 8.1). Deeds of

love, even when done in the hiddenness of silence, have an everlasting

effect.

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Ignatius wished to speak a true word with his whole existence by

accomplishing a deed in silence. He pleaded with the Christians of

Rome not to impede his approaching martyrdom, “for if you remain

silent and leave me alone, I will be a word of God, but if you love my

flesh, then I will again be a mere voice” (2.1). When the words of the

Christian witness are snuffed out in the silence of martyrdom, then the

Word Himself shines through brilliantly. The fruitfulness of the martyr’s

silence blossoms from the Word’s own silence. Ignatius noted: “The

one who truly possesses the word of Jesus is also able to hear His

silence, that he may be perfect, that he may act through what he says

and be known through his silence” (Ephesians 15.2). As the revelation

of the Father, the Word-Made-Flesh has more to say than can be

expressed in words. Yet one must “listen” carefully in order to perceive

God’s word of love in the apparent godlessness of the Cross. Although

Jesus does reveal the Father in His vocal preaching, His greatest

message is proclaimed in the silence of the Cross. Jesus Himself, as the

Word, is the very message of God, and His self-gift in silence gets at the

heart of Revelation since it gets at the very heart of God.

There are, Ignatius claimed, “three mysteries to be loudly proclaimed,

yet which were accomplished in the silence of God” (19.1). These are

events which are not flashy enough for the world’s taste and hence, in

this sense, are hidden from the world’s eyes. They are Mary’s virginity,

Jesus’ birth, and the Cross. God’s preparation and actualization of His

mother, His taking on flesh, and His death on the Cross — all of which

are hidden from the world in the silence of God — are crucial actions

for God’s redemption of the world. Ignatius, then, in the silence of his

martyrdom, echoed this silence of God. He most effectively bore

witness to the ultimate Love that knows no limit and shares in His

fecundity for the sake of others. In this he fulfilled his task as bishop in

imitation of the Chief Shepherd who laid down His life for His sheep.

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Martyrdom is the epitome of the silent deeds which Ignatius extolled in

his fellow bishops and encouraged in all Christians. However, all acts of

love, even when hidden from others, can be fruitful for others because

they share in God’s own silent deeds of redemption.

Ignatius’s mysticism sustained him to the end. When the Roman

populace gathered for a thrilling show in the Coliseum, among the

many other spectacles they saw an odd figure embrace the lions as a

man might embrace his beloved at a ballroom dance. Amidst the deep

bass roars of the lions and the horrible, yet graceful, choreography of

predator and prey, all that could be heard was the name “Jesus!” None

of the rabble noticed the man’s blood silently soaking into the earth:

the seed of the Church.

4. St. Maximillian Kolbe (watch the 30-minute audio/slideshow on

the webpage for a fantastic account of his life and death)

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Some thoughts from other saints:

Blessed Marie of the Incarnation:

“If we could, with a single, interior glance,

see all of the mercy and goodness that

exists in God’s designs for each one of us,

even in what we call disgraces, pains, and

afflictions, our happiness would consist in

throwing ourselves into the arms of the

Divine Will, with the abandon of a young

child that throws himself into the arms of

his mother. We would behave, in all things,

with the intention of pleasing God and then

we would maintain ourselves in a holy repose, fully convinced that God

is our Father and that He desires our salvation more than we ourselves

desire it.”

St. Teresa of Avila

“…after all, His Majesty will give you help

proportionate to your trials, and so as you are

suffering great trails, you will enjoy great

favors, too!”

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Pope St. John Paul II

He taught that Our crosses are used by God to

release a purer and stronger love into the world; a

love that was not present and active before the

suffering began.

"Suffering is present in this life in order to unleash

love in the human person and in the world" (Pope

St. John Paul II).

Think of the amount of active sacrificial love, compassion and concern

that is released when a natural disaster occurs. How many people stop

pursuing their selfish pursuits and focus on helping the people in need

in that moment? That is just one example of this. If we make it to

heaven, we will see from God's perspective how much love was

unleashed and grew because of our sufferings and we will bow our

head and say, Amen! We will be eternally grateful that we were able to

help others grow in sacrificial love and for the effect that our suffering

had on the world.

“Suffering, more than anything else, makes present in the history of

humanity the powers of Redemption.” Pope St. John Paul II

St. Rose of Lima

“Let all men know that grace comes after tribulation. Let them know

that without the burden of afflictions it is impossible to reach the

height of grace. Let them know that the gifts of grace increase as the

struggles increase. Let men take care not to stray and be deceived. This

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is the only true stairway to paradise, and

without the cross they can find no road to

climb to heaven.” – from the writings of St.

Rose of Lima

“Would that mortal men might know how

wonderful is divine grace, how beautiful, how

precious; what riches are hidden therein, what

treasures, what joys, what delights. If they but

knew, surely they would direct their energy

with all care and diligence to procuring sufferings and afflictions for

themselves. Instead of good fortune all men everywhere would seek

out troubles, illness and suffering that they might obtain the

inestimable treasure of grace. This is the final profit to be gained from

patient endurance. No one would complain about the cross or about

hardships coming seemingly by chance upon him, if he realized in what

balance they are weighed before being distributed to men.” - St. Rose

of Lima

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Conclusion

Suffering is a Win/Win

This is not only good for others. Suffering in imitation of Christ and the

saints is helping us to be made ready for heaven. By making our lives

an offering for others, we are growing in our capacity to love while

simultaneously being purified from the temporal effects of our own

sins.

To top it all off, our potential for glory in heaven is also increasing.

“This is the teaching of the saints. They were so joyful in the midst of

much suffering because they figured out the answer to the riddle of

why God allows his children, especially his holy ones, to suffer so

much?

They learned that every cross that Christ sends us is a kiss from His

cross. It doesn’t look like it when it comes; it looks horrible and ugly,

like His did; but the mystery behind the visible reality, behind all the

suffering, is that He is teaching us to love like He loves. Through our

crosses, he is cutting out all of the garbage that blocks his love from

filling us to overflowing and He is perfecting us” (Dr. Brant Pitre).

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The saints could not conceive of life divorced from suffering. Suffering

for love nourishes love. Seeking to avoid crosses, mortification and

suffering can’t lead to happiness. On the other hand, whoever willingly

suffers much for the sake of love will know the soul’s highest

fulfillment. That which produces the souls most priceless merits are

those moments of suffering and of the cross. If God determines for us a

path of suffering and our soul must walk a thorny path, we may rejoice

and be certain that He also determines for us a spiritual purification.

Because the purification of purgatory is both long and severe, God

demonstrates special love for those He purifies in this life.

Voluntarily accepting crosses in this life is rewarded by greater glory

in Heaven. The more a believer, with the help of God’s grace, exercises

a bold faith, the heavier the crosses God places upon his shoulders so

that the believer mirrors his crucified Lord in his faith walk. We

accumulate heavenly graces if we persevere, despite sadness, fatigue,

suffering, persecution, failure, desertion, ridicule – and, as Jesus on the

cross did, we shall pray for everyone and strive in every manner to

draw people to God through the Immaculata. Suffering and sacrifice are

the proofs of love. When love encompasses and penetrates into our

inner being, sacrifices become necessary for the soul. Spiritual joy is

born of sacrifice. Remember, love lives and is nourished by sacrifice.