It is impossible to comprehend how incredible the Passion of our Lord is. God, Who is goodness itself, Who is completely and fully happy without creation, chose freely to create us. He did this not for His own benefit, but wholly for ours! He is so good that He desires to share Himself, our true happiness, with us for all eternity. Our good Father did not see the mere act of creating us from nothing as enough to show His love for us. He sent His son to die the most brutal of all deaths to show us His love. God loves us so much that He was willing to die to be united with us. Meditating on the Passion of Our Lord should forever transform us. The brutal suffering God underwent because He loves us should lead us to completely trust Him. If we do trust Him, then when our Lord asks us, “Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?” (Mt 20:22) we will be able to immediately respond, “Yes, Lord. I trust you!”
When the good God asks you to drink from the chalice, remember that it is for your own good!
Heal
“And we know that to them that love God all things work together unto good.” (Rm 8:28). Our loving Father does not ask us to suffer for the sake of suffering. He asks us to suffer because that is the gentlest way possible to bring you closer to Him. You will never believe this, though, if you do not trust Him! One of the consequences of the fall was that our trust in God was damaged, but the Lord desires to heal this wound. If you want our Lord to heal you, humbly ask Him and have complete confidence He will heal you. Make the words of the Gospel your own: “I do believe, Lord. Help my unbelief.” (Mk 9:24).
Meditating with scripture will open you up to be able to receive God’s healing grace. There are many examples in scripture that should help you trust our loving God:
“Behold the birds of the air, for they neither sow, nor do they reap, nor gather into barns: and your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not you of much more value than they?” (Mt 6:26)
“If you then being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children: how much more will your Father who is in heaven, give good things to them that ask him?” (Mt 7:11)
“Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you shall find: knock, and it shall be opened to you. For every one that asketh, receiveth: and he that seeketh, findeth: and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened.” (Mt 7:7-8)
Once you trust Him, although suffering may still be extremely difficult, you will have the strength to bear it as a Saint!
