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Cross of Jesus
Few
Love the Cross of Jesus
JESUS
has always many who love His heavenly kingdom, but few who bear His cross. He
has many who desire consolation, but few who care for trial. He finds many to
share His table, but few to take part in His fasting. All desire to be happy
with Him; few wish to suffer anything for Him. Many follow Him to the breaking
of bread, but few to the drinking of the chalice of His passion. Many revere His
miracles; few approach the shame of the Cross. Many love Him as long as they
encounter no hardship; many praise and bless Him as long as they receive some
comfort from Him. But if Jesus hides Himself and leaves them for a while, they
fall either into complaints or into deep dejection. Those, on the contrary, who
love Him for His own sake and ot for any comfort of their
Do
not those who always seek consolation deserve to be called mercenaries? Do not
those who always think of their own profit and gain prove that they love
themselves rather than Christ? Where can a man be found who desires to serve God
for nothing? Rarely indeed is a man so spiritual as to strip himself of all
things. And who shall find a man so truly poor in spirit as to be free from
every creature? His value is like that of things brought from the most distant
lands.
If
a man give all his wealth, it is nothing; if he do great penance, it is little;
if he gain all knowledge, he is still far afield; if he have great virtue and
much ardent devotion, he still lacks a great deal, and especially, the one thing
that is most necessary to him. What is this one thing? That leaving all, he
forsake himself, completely renounce himself, and give up all private
affections. Then, when he has done all that he knows ought to be done, let him
consider it as nothing, let him make little of what may be considered great; let
him in all honesty call himself an unprofitable servant. For truth itself has
said: "When you shall have
Then
he will be truly poor and stripped in spirit, and with the prophet may say:
"I am alone and poor." No one, however, is more wealthy than such a
man; no one is more powerful, no one freer than he who knows how to leave all
things and think of himself as the least of all.
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