By Kaitlin Klein
Wonderful Adventure
St. Rose of Lima said, "We cannot obtain grace unless we suffer afflictions. We must heap trouble upon trouble to attain a deep participation in the divine nature, the glory of the sons of God and perfect happiness of soul.”
I must admit this is difficult for me to read. "Heap trouble upon trouble?!” When asked what I desire in life, trouble does not come to mind. The world beckons us to be as problem- and pain-free as possible, and to live care-less (and carelessly). If there is nothing after my life on earth, then this makes more sense; then, I would want to live without any struggle at all – without the Cross. But this is thinking as human beings do. Pope Emeritus Benedict says, "The world promises you comfort, but you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness."
Lent is an incredibly valuable opportunity to purposefully let go of some of the comfort and to sacrifice for the good of our souls. We can strive for the greatness we are all called to be! Some crosses we do not choose; but in this liturgical season, we can choose to deny ourselves, and do extra prayer, fasting and almsgiving.
St. Rose wished to share this with the world: "If only mortals would learn how great it is to possess divine grace, how beautiful, how noble, how precious. How many riches it hides within itself, how many joys and delights! Without doubt, they would devote all their care and concern to winning for themselves pains and afflictions. All men throughout the world would seek trouble, infirmities and torments, instead of good fortune, in order to attain the unfathomable treasure of grace. This is the reward and the final gain of patience. No one would complain about his cross or about troubles that may happen to him, if he would come to know the scales on which they are weighed when they are distributed to men.”
Whew. Now that's what brings true comfort! Knowing that sufferings during our brief time on earth will gain us great graces, and that we will one day live eternally with our Creator and beloved Jesus. Extra prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are for our own good. In addition to whatever crosses we currently carry, we can pray about how God wants to draw us closer to him this Lent through sacrifice, service and prayer. How beautiful that our joys and sufferings are valuable and precious to the Lord. We can value each moment as well, especially since we have the hope that "grace comes after tribulation" (St. Rose of Lima).