Saint Paul said to the Ephesians: Be renewed in the spirit of your mind and put on the new man, which has been created according to God. (Ephesians 4:23-24) This work of sanctification, this inner renewal of our spirit, does not come without effort. As Our Lord says: The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and only the violent bear it away. (St. Matthew 11:12) Let us look at what the Saints have done for God. The countless Saints canonized by the Church have had very different lives, vocations and inspirations, but in all of them, without exception, there is one thing in common: the application, the thirst to contradict nature by mortification in all its forms. Not satisfied with accepting the sufferings inherent in life, such as sickness, bad weather and necessary privations, the Saints voluntarily imposed suffering on themselves through fasting, vigils, the wearing of hair shirts, poverty of dwelling and of clothing, solitude and everything that contradicted their natural tastes. Today, many scoff at these gestures... Yet these Saints were guided by a supernatural wisdom, drawn from meditation on the life of Our Lord and His teachings. They are our big brothers, they have blazed the trail for us, and we cannot go wrong by following them. Although God does not ask us for the mortifications practiced by these Saints, He does set mortification of one’s tastes as an essential condition of the Christian life, and obviously of all holiness. How narrow the gate and close the way that leads to life! And few there are who find it. (St. Matthew 7:14) Perfectly fulfilling one’s duties of state, doing all the work imposed on us, is a good penance, the best penance of all. If we do this penance, if there is the absence of sin in our life, if we avoid all that displeases God and do all that pleases Him, we are certainly on the road to holiness. * * * * * * * O Jesus, be our strength! May the contemplation and the remembrance of Your Holy Passion give us the strength to do what You expect of us. You told us in the Gospel: The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and only the violent bear it away. Give us the courage to do violence to ourselves, for the life of man is a combat on earth. We are fallen, inclined to evil. Without Your grace, accompanied by our good will, it is impossible for us to do what is good. I can do all things in Him who strengthens me, said Saint Paul. (Philippians 4:13) The strength of Christians, the strength of martyrs, is JESUS. The most appalling torments of the martyrs cannot be compared to those of Jesus. In His Passion, He suffered more than any Saint; He tasted the bitterness of suffering as much as it was possible; He drained the cup of bitterness to the dregs. He did all this to show us the way and merit for us the courage we need to follow Him. Father John Gregory of the Trinity To Become Saints
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