Such was St. Francis's feeling, his compassion for Christ, he wanted somehow to suffer with Jesus, and so, two years before he died, this prayer rose from the depths of his love for the crucified Christ: "O Lord, I beg of you two graces before I die - to experience personally and in all possible fulness the pains of your bitter Passion, and to feel for you the same love that moved you to sacrifice yourself for us."
Little Flowers of St. Francis
Sunday, August 20, 2006
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amen! I need these words in front of me each and every day.
ReplyDeleteWe should not be afraid of our weakness, our blindness. The supreme hope of Christians is not in self, but in God. "With God all things are possible."
ReplyDeleteGod bless!
St. Francis clearly taught us that we must first embrace crucifixion before we can share in His resurrection. Most of us, myself included, pray that we be spared of this cup of suffering and yet be catapulted immeidately into the throne room of God.
ReplyDeleteThere is actually a joy interwoven with suffering that can only be understood mystically.