Suffering is the means…
He longs to give us a magnificent reward. He knows that suffering is the only means of preparing us to know Him as He knows Himself, and to become ourselves divine.
–Saint Therese of Lisieux (1873-1897)
Suffering is a…
A praise of Glory is a soul of silence that remains like a lyre under the mysterious touch of the Holy Spirit so that He may draw from it divine harmonies; it knows that suffering is a string that produces still more beautiful sounds; so it loves to see this string on its instrument that it may more delightfully move the heart of God.
–Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity (1880-1906)
My heart has suffered…
If I look at things from an earthly standpoint I see loneliness and even emptiness, for I cannot say that my heart has not suffered; but if I keep my eyes fixed upon Him, my shining Star, then all the rest vanishes and I lose myself as a drop of water in the ocean. All is calm, all is soothed and all is so good; it is the peace of God of which St Paul speaks, the peace that ‘surpasseth all understanding.’ (Phil. 4:7)
–Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity (1880-1906)
Experience of pain…
Know that the experience of pain is something so noble and precious that the Divine Word, who enjoyed the abundant riches of paradise, yet, because He was not clothed with this ornament of sorrow, came down from Heaven to seek it upon Earth.
–Saint Mary Magdalen de Pazzi (1566-1607)
Voluntary expiatory suffering…
Thus, when someone desires to suffer, it is not merely a pious reminder of the suffering of the Lord. Voluntary expiatory suffering is what truly and really unites one to the Lord intimately. When it arises, it comes from an already existing relationship with Christ. For, by nature, a person flees from suffering.
–Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (1891-1942)
Afflictions and suffering….
In afflictions and sufferings, endurance and faith, are concealed the promised glory and the recovery of celestial blessings.
–Saint Macarius the Great (c. 300-391)
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