Pain is never Permanent

St. Paul of the Cross

When you feel the assaults of passion and anger, then is the time to be silent as Jesus was silent in the midst of His ignominies and sufferings.

St. Therese of Lisieux

Above the clouds the sky is always blue.

St. Teresa of Avila

Pain is never permanent.

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Narrow Gate

Following Christ means facing your suffering without fear.

In his Angelus address on Sunday, Pope Francis spoke about the words of Jesus from the day’s Gospel: “Strive to enter through the narrow gate.”

The Holy Father noted that Jesus was responding to the question of how many people will be saved. But, the Pope said, “it is not important to know how many are saved. Rather, it is important to know what is the path of salvation.” Jesus Himself is the gate, a gate “that allows us to enter into God's family, into the warmth of the house of God, of communion with Him. This gate is Jesus Himself.”

Pope Francis emphasised that “the gate that is Jesus is never closed . . . it is always open and open to everyone, without distinction, without exclusions, without privileges.” Jesus, he continued, does not exclude anyone. Some people might feel excluded because they are sinners – but Pope Francis definitively rejected this idea. “No,” he said, “you are not excluded! Precisely for that reason you are preferred, because Jesus prefers the sinner, always, in order to pardon him, to love him. Jesus is waiting for you, to embrace you, to pardon you.”

We are called to enter the gate that is Jesus. “Don’t be afraid to pass through the gate of faith in Jesus,” Pope Francis said. Don’t be afraid “to let Him enter more and more into our lives, to go out of our selfishness, our being closed in, our indifference toward others.”

Jesus speaks about a narrow gate not because it is a “torture chamber," but “because it asks us to open our hearts to Him, to recognize ourselves as sinners, in need of His salvation, His forgiveness, His love, needing the humility to accept His mercy and to be renewed by Him.”

Finally, the Holy Father emphasised that Christianity is not a “label” – it is a way of life. Christians must not be Christians in name only: “Not Christians, never Christians because of a label!” he said. He called us to be true Christians, Christians at heart. “To be Christian,” said Pope Francis, "is to live and witness to the faith in prayer, in works of charity, in promoting justice, in doing good. For the narrow gate which is Christ must pass into our whole life.”

Let God Define You

If you let others define you, you won't reach true happiness because you won't reach the destiny the Lord has assigned to you. Every single person on earth is equally important in God's mysterious, incomparable Plan. And no one on earth sees even a fraction of it. Our "geniuses" have no clue when it comes to His perspective (unless they take the Christian perspective). Renounce their labels. Remain in faith. Move upward always. Don't look back at past worldliness; you'll only stumble. Forget about what once enticed you (and kept you in that box). Forget about the way others perceive you and remain steadfast in how the Lord sees you.

We're all equal, and God has a plan of greatness for every one of us. He made us to be great. Joy comes with greatness as ordained by the Lord -- the greatness of motherhood, the greatness of being a great janitor, the greatness of a life lived for others. It is labels -- and our accepting those labels -- that prevent us from achieving bigger spiritual things. Go for the greatest "you." Go for the best you can be -- no matter what others around you think. Rest in the Lord. Remain in Him. Worry about pleasing Him only. Gravitate to the interior "you" that is most familiar to you, and maintain the real you no matter how others try to perceive you and cause you to misperceive yourself.

Forgive and Forget

We will never forget, but we must forgive.  This is the beginning of healing.
      While many people believe forgetting an injury is part of forgiveness, Fr. Justin Waltz, pastor of St. Leo's Church in Minot, ND, suggested just the opposite. In fact, he stated that forgetting is not even possible. “The only type of forgetting I have heard of is stuffing,” he said during a retreat presentation and added, “The hurt is not gone, it is just buried deep within.”  
      Since forgetting is not an option given our memories, Waltz said that God has provided an even better remedy—the divine transformation of a resurrection within our souls. He pointed out that Christ himself retained the wounds of his crucifixion. “Had he wanted to, Jesus could have healed his body so completely that even the scars did not exist,” he explained. “Christ is not ashamed of these scars, rather he wears them as his testament to his victory over sin and death.”
      By keeping the scars, he said that Jesus taught us some great truths about suffering. Christ suffered a brutal and humiliating death but resurrected while retaining the scars. Since he has gone before us, Waltz explained that through faith in God, we can trust that nothing is beyond his healing, no matter how deep or how painful.  “God goes beyond forgetting. He transforms us and brings us out of the tomb into the light of the resurrection, not only healed but victorious.” 
Waltz stated that God’s healing begins with faith in him to heal all things. “Just for a moment, imagine what sort of life and power would be unleashed in your heart if you allowed God to transform your pain into victory,” he said. He laid out some of the essentials for recovering from hurts. Regarding those that struggle with the concept of a loving God, he explained that God does not desire our suffering, but it is a fallen world. “God created free will and when he did, this, he tied his hands,” Waltz explained.  Through human free will, sin and death entered the world. “But in every circumstance that evil occurs, God has created an out, even death in which he has created a place where there is no death, pain or suffering,” he said.  “Forgiving God really comes down to not holding God responsible for something that he did not do.  When we do this, we allow God to do the very thing that God does best--set us free from the pain.”  Waltz said to recall that God shows us only love and mercy even to the extent of sending his only son to suffer for our sins and save us.

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Prayer

Prayer is vital during times of suffering.  Jesus is depicted as sweating blood when praying in the Garden of Gethsemane.   Prayer attaches us to the will of God and strengthens us on our heavenly journey.   

How Jesus Prayed

Encounter Christ in Sacraments

(ANSA) - Vatican City, August 7 - Pope Francis again used the papal Twitter account on Wednesday to stay in touch with his millions of followers on the social network. "With his coming among us, Jesus came close to us and encountered us," Francis posted via @Pontifex.

"Also today, through the Sacraments, he encounters us".

Mortal Sin

Sin causes suffering.  Mortal sin increases the severity.  Christ and the saints warn us not to abuse our free will and choose a sinful life.  The bible is very explicit about it.

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Feeling Over Thought

When considering the suffering of others, our feelings for the person(s) effected should not be placed over thought, the two should work hand in hand.

While compassion for others is certainly central to Christianity, it is not based purely on sentimentality.  reason plays a role.

Compassionate fellow-feeling, however, can soon become self-indulgent and lead to spiritual pride. It imparts an inner glow, like a shot of whiskey on a cold day, but like whiskey it can prevent the clear-headedness which we need at least as much as we need warmth of heart. Pascal said that the beginning of morality was to think well; generosity of spirit is not enough.

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Catholics Follow Christ - Pope is Earthly Guide

We cannot separate Christ from the cross.  Christians must always keep in mind that they follow Christ carrying his cross.  When faced with our own personal suffering, we must also carry our crosses, enduring (in Christ). 

The Holy Father recently stated, "Always remember: young people do not follow the Pope, they follow Jesus Christ carrying His cross. And the Pope will guide them accompanying them on this journey of faith and hope. "

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Christ IS the Church

When we approach Christ we approach His Church (and vice versa).  There is no distinguishing between the two. 

It is important for Christians to go to the Church to receive the graces needed for perseverance in times of struggle.  This includes Church teaching, the Sacraments and Mass, Catholic spirituality and devotions, and parish life.

The Holy Father recently stated:

One cannot serve Christ without being in harmony with and serving the church. "There are no parallel or isolated paths."

"To serve Christ is to love this concrete church and to serve it with generosity and obedience," he said.

But most of the pope's homily focused on humility and recognizing one's limits, so as to be mindful always of greatness of God's mercy.
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