Magnificat Vol. LVIII, No. 1 7 may be well remembered: by our sins, we have produced all evils and tribulations, and God has decided that these same sufferings produced by our sins would be the remedy for our sins. That is the divine remedy, but we must remember it and believe it when the occasions arise. Suffering sets all things in order, in their place. What a mystery! Not only does suffering purify our souls, but God has made it the condition for the fulfillment of His greatest designs. And the ultimate proof of this assertion is the cross. In our sufferings, may we not forget to unite ourselves to God’s intention. May we accept them as His will, for the purification of our soul in order to glorify Him, to enter into His design. Let us recall the story of Saint Teresa of Avila, who traveled by night to establish her Carmelite convents. She met with a great deal of opposition, not only from the part of worldly people but even from the clergy, although it was a time of fervor in the Church. One winter’s night, a bridge she was crossing with her sisters gave way under the weight of the horsedrawn covered cart. Cart and nuns all fell into the river. With great difficulty, they managed to climb out of the icy water. Jesus, smiling, was waiting for Teresa of Avila on the bank, and He said to her, “This is how I treat My friends.” And Teresa of Avila jokingly replied in all simplicity, “I can understand why You have so few!” We like to laughingly repeat these words in all kinds of unfortunate situations. But it is really the truth. We must believe that suffering and setbacks are the way of God’s friends. — MYSTERIUM FIDEI God sends sufferings to those He loves. This great truth is a component of the mysteries of God’s love. Here on earth, the love we have for God is not an emotion, something we can feel. It is a common error among Christians to want to feel the love of God – feel a kind of warmth, a palpitation, an emotion, beautiful tears – it feels so good. That is not bad, but even in religion, it remains a natural emotion. By views of faith, we must believe in the love of God in trials, in suffering. My brothers and sisters, this year I invite you to a practical faith of truly believing that by way of the evils that already visit us and those that will come later, it is God who wants to manifest His love to us and to humanity. Let me remind you of the Latin formula that the priest pronounces during the Consecration at Mass: Mysterium fidei. These words are employed for the Holy Eucharist, the mystery of faith. You can apply the same formula in suffering, hardship, infirmity and illness. Draw up the very long list of the trials you are experiencing now and all of those that are looming on the horizon. You see them coming. What we have gone through was the first chapter. What is coming will be a little more severe, a little more painful. Mysterium fidei. Believe that this is the manifestation of the love of God, who has decided to save us. He needs a little handful of souls motivated by this faith. Will we be among these souls? Yes, my brothers and sisters; yes, we will. I am willing to answer on your behalf because I truly believe that your heart says yes. The Eucharist is a mystery of faith. Does the truth, the reality of Jesus’ presence in the Host reside in the fact that you feel He is there, that you have an emotion which reveals to you that, Oh yes! Jesus is there? No, we believe in His presence because He revealed it to us and we have faith in His word. So it is with this other mystery that we are commenting on today. Suffering is a mystery of faith, which we must accept just like the mystery of the Real Presence. And we accept it not because we have a sweet emotion
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