Since my dream I have been begging Christ to allow me to suffer as He did, to allow me to be nailed to the cross with Him, to have the privilege of having His wounds. I know that many will not understand wanting to suffer, much less begging for the privilege of suffering, especially suffering as Christ did, but suffering is an amazing gift. To suffer for others, to suffer for God and for Christ is truly a privilege. Suffering opens our eyes to the pain of others, to the suffering of others because we look for someone to suffer with us. What we do not realize is that there is always someone suffering with us, we never suffer alone. Christ is always with us suffering for us and with us. He walks with us knowing our pain, our heartache. No one knows our suffering like Christ does. Suffering is the one thing we all have in common, we have all suffered, we all know pain. To recognize that pain in others and to suffer with them is an opportunity to help another Child of God and to witness to the power of Christ's love. Yet, we turn down that opportunity all the time because we refuse to see that someone, who is different from us, is in pain or, if we do see it, we believe they deserve it because they are homosexual or Muslim or are simply just different from us. People who do not know Christ's love and forgiveness are the ones who most need our help and our compassion and who most need someone to suffer with them. Oh to suffer as Christ did and to suffer with others and for others is the most beautiful thing and is, in part, what it is to love God's children. How I long to suffer as Christ did and to suffer for and with other children of God. Every time I go to adoration or pray the rosary I find myself praying for the sins of others and asking God that He may help those who sin and do not know His love, His mercy and His forgiveness know His love and mercy and forgiveness. I ask, I beg to be allowed to suffer for those people. Christ so loved His brothers and sisters that He committed the ultimate act of obedience and under went tremendous suffering so that we all might know His father's love, mercy and forgiveness. I can only hope and pray that He will allow me to take on some of that suffering and bless me with the gift of suffering for the sins of others. I have known His love and forgiveness and I will do anything so that others may also know it. Oh to have His wounds and be on the cross with Him. To be that obedient, to love my brothers and sisters and my Heavenly father so much that I would die for their sins. I am deeply in love with Christ crucified and for me there is nothing more that I want than to be on that cross with my love.
Today I went to mass and I get the privilege of going again tomorrow. My need for the Eucharist and confession and mass are the same as my need for air; I cannot survive without them. To have Christ fill me is an amazing feeling. When I am with Him nothing else matters. I long to fall down in front of Him and profess my love openly. I long for the day when we are wed and I am free for Him alone. My love, my God how I long for you when I cannot be with you. There is no other for me, there is no other that could love me as you do and I could love no other with the passion, the calmness, the intensity that I do you. I would give my life for you if you asked it of me. Oh my Lord how I love you. Give me strength, give me the ability to suffer as you did for us, give me your wounds, allow me to be on the cross with you. Allow me to suffer for my brothers and sisters in Christ so that they may know your love and forgiveness, so they may know what it is to be filled by your love and healed by your mercy and forgiveness. Oh Lord that is my greatest wish and desire; that everyone will know your love, mercy and forgiveness so that they may know your Father and be with you in His kingdom.
Also, today was the Feast of the Assumption. In the homily at mass today Father talked about how selfless Mary was. She gave no heed to the things that were bothering her, but instead was always caring for others. The gospel reading was about when Mary had just found out that she would be the mother of God. Can you imagine getting that news?! The questions, the worries, the concerns. Most of us would lock ourselves in our room and have a total nervous breakdown. Not Mary though, she went to her cousin Elizabeth and cared for her. Mary gave no thought to her concerns or fears; she ignored them and went to the one who needed her. I long to lead a life like that. To lead a life devoted to others, completely devoid of self. This is one reason I fell in love with the religious life and why it "fits" me. I want to devote myself to being of service to others. By being of service I realize that my life isn't bad, my concerns are not a huge deal, neither are my problems when compared to the homeless addicts and alcoholics I worked with or the abused and neglected children I worked with. I have everything I need; a place to live, food, clothing. I am not lacking anything. So I give my money that I do not need to feed others or house them. I try to live my life as selflessly as I can, because while I sincerely doubt I will change the world, someone I help, someone that I believed in might.
Pax,
Thomas Catherine
Today I went to mass and I get the privilege of going again tomorrow. My need for the Eucharist and confession and mass are the same as my need for air; I cannot survive without them. To have Christ fill me is an amazing feeling. When I am with Him nothing else matters. I long to fall down in front of Him and profess my love openly. I long for the day when we are wed and I am free for Him alone. My love, my God how I long for you when I cannot be with you. There is no other for me, there is no other that could love me as you do and I could love no other with the passion, the calmness, the intensity that I do you. I would give my life for you if you asked it of me. Oh my Lord how I love you. Give me strength, give me the ability to suffer as you did for us, give me your wounds, allow me to be on the cross with you. Allow me to suffer for my brothers and sisters in Christ so that they may know your love and forgiveness, so they may know what it is to be filled by your love and healed by your mercy and forgiveness. Oh Lord that is my greatest wish and desire; that everyone will know your love, mercy and forgiveness so that they may know your Father and be with you in His kingdom.
Also, today was the Feast of the Assumption. In the homily at mass today Father talked about how selfless Mary was. She gave no heed to the things that were bothering her, but instead was always caring for others. The gospel reading was about when Mary had just found out that she would be the mother of God. Can you imagine getting that news?! The questions, the worries, the concerns. Most of us would lock ourselves in our room and have a total nervous breakdown. Not Mary though, she went to her cousin Elizabeth and cared for her. Mary gave no thought to her concerns or fears; she ignored them and went to the one who needed her. I long to lead a life like that. To lead a life devoted to others, completely devoid of self. This is one reason I fell in love with the religious life and why it "fits" me. I want to devote myself to being of service to others. By being of service I realize that my life isn't bad, my concerns are not a huge deal, neither are my problems when compared to the homeless addicts and alcoholics I worked with or the abused and neglected children I worked with. I have everything I need; a place to live, food, clothing. I am not lacking anything. So I give my money that I do not need to feed others or house them. I try to live my life as selflessly as I can, because while I sincerely doubt I will change the world, someone I help, someone that I believed in might.
Pax,
Thomas Catherine
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