Magnificat Vol. LVIII, No. 1 9 the more our reason and all our senses are at a loss, then the more also our heart, our innermost being, adheres to God by faith. — GRACIOUSLY It is customary to add a wish to the watchword. For the year that just ended, the wish you received was “to follow Jesus, the Truth, and to do it graciously”. This year, we repeat the same wish of practicing the virtue of patience graciously, that is, in such a way that no one realizes that we are patient. When we show our neighbor that we are being patient, it means that we are not. We want to make him feel that he is making us suffer, that he is exercising us, that he is a cause of suffering for us. This year, apply yourself to practicing patience graciously. In the hymn on patience by Saint Louis Mary de Montfort, we sing: What glory for God, our good Father, To see His dear child laughing, Humbly kissing and revering The rod with which He strikes him; Who amid the blows exclaims: “Blessed be God! O my God, pardon! “Father, I give Thee thanks, “Oh, what a grace! What a great gift.” — THE CANTICLE OF GRATITUDE How glorious it is for God to see His child smiling and thanking Him for the suffering He sends Him! I am convinced that this is the summit of religion. Yes, there is nothing greater here on earth than to accept trials, to thank God in suffering, to praise and bless Him, not only with our lips but especially with our heart and from the depths of our soul, saying to Him, “My God, nothing better could happen to me, since it is You who has so decided.” It does not matter what the tribulation, suffering, trial or evil is. Now, this is easy to say sitting comfortably in an armchair, but when suffering visits us, when everything hurts, it can become heroic to say: “My God, yes! Nothing better could have happened to me. I glorify You, I bless You.” Jesus, Innocence itself, was regarded as a man struck by God, regarded as the guilty one. But we are not innocent. And faced with the suffering that comes our way, we ought to say: “Blessed be God! O my God, pardon. My God, You have not forsaken me! You have sent suffering to me, You have decided to save me. Father, I thank You. Oh, what a grace! What a great gift!” I believe that all of Heaven is in suspense upon seeing a Christian who blesses and thanks God when his whole being, his heart and soul, is in trials, in darkness, and is burdened with all sorts of sufferings. There is nothing rational, it is trials and nothing but trials, yet this Christian continues to praise God. When He sees this sentiment in His child, God puts all of Heaven on hold. He invites the Angels and the Saints, according to our way of speaking, and says to them: “Come and see My child. Come and look at this. Here is one who is oppressed, who is in darkness, who sees nothing, understands nothing, is suffering in every way. And look at how he praises Me, blesses and thanks Me!” What a spectacular sight for God, the Angels and the Saints! Wouldn’t we like to give this glory to God? I am sure that Heaven pauses to contemplate such a display, for it is so great, so glorifying to God. At that moment we might hear Jesus repeat: Amen I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!5 My brothers and sisters, we belong to the Order of the Magnificat of the Mother of God – the Magnificat is the Virgin Mary’s canticle of gratitude. More than anyone else, we must practice gratitude in trial and sorrow, so that tomorrow, by our contact, humanity will return to God. Instead of grumbling, complaining and finding the action of God deplorable, even 5. St. Luke 7:9.
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