Jesus, Mercy Incarnate

5. The Way of the Cross is not a Cult of Suffering Despite the centrality of the Cross in the spiritual diary of St. Faustina, as well as in the ascetical teachings of most of the great saints and mystics of the Church, we should not be misled into thinking that true disciples of Jesus Christ must be enamoured of suffering. Even the most saintly “victim souls” down through the ages did not teach that misery was to be sought out of one’s own will and preference. If extra sufferings, penances and mortifica- tions were cheerfully embraced by them, it was only because these “victim souls” discerned a specific call from God to do so. Moreover, they were careful not to try to turn God’s particular vocation for themselves into a general precept for the Church. In short, the goal is to embrace suffering only when it is our Lord’s will, and only because it is His will, in fulfilment of His loving plan. The endurance of suffering has no meaning apart from the divine will and the divine providence. Thus, while few saints in the Church ever placed more emphasis on the co-redemptive and sanctifying potential of human suffering than St. Margaret Mary, she was also very careful not to teach any form of reli- gious sado-masochism. The important thing to her was to be surrendered to Christ’s will, whether that will lead to joy or suffering – and to thank Him especially whenever it led to the Cross, because the Cross is the place one can most directly attain “pure [self-forgetful] love” of God: Ah, how good the cross is, always everywhere! So let us embrace it lovingly, without caring what kind of wood it is made of, or what tool has fashioned it. It alone should suffice for us, since nothing unites us so intimately to the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ as does the cross. It is themost precious gauge of His love. Thank Him for me, dear friend, for having at times blessed me with it, but at the same time ask His pardon formy having used it so badly.That iswhy I always remain poor, in spite of possessing this precious treasure with- out which I should find life insupportable. Not that wemust ask 79 Saint Faustina and Devotion to the Passion of Jesus Christ