December 2, 2006
The Book of the Cross
“The most afflicted souls are those chosen by the divine heart…” –Saint Padre Pio of Pietrelcina
Throughout Christian history, ordinary men and women, many of whom never read a page from a printed Bible or heard a sermon inside a cathedral, became great saints for Jesus! For these beloved brothers and sisters of ours, the only book they read was “the Book of the Cross.”
Our Capuchin Franciscan tradition is replete with saints who were distinguished for their profound and even “affectionate” love of Christ Crucified. This led them, in their own lives, to embrace the Mystery of the Cross out of love for Jesus.
One phrase spoken to Jesus by the “angry thief” in the movie “the Passion” still resounds loudly in my head: “Why do you embrace your cross, you fool!” Bishop Fulton Sheen put it plainly: “The essence of the satanic is this: the hatred of the Cross.”
For me personally, Saint Padre Pio is one of the greatest models of “how to be.” He described himself as being simply “a poor friar who prays.” But his knowledge and love of suffering and its meaning in our lives was perhaps unparalleled by almost any other person, as he bore the wounds of Christ in his body for fifty years. Saint Pio wrote such mysterious and enlightened words as: “Suffering is God’s greatest gift.”; “If you only knew the value of suffering, you would ask for nothing else.”; “I am happier than ever when I am suffering…” Suffering for love of Jesus became his greatest joy!
Saint Francis, Padre Pio’s spiritual father and model, prayed for a long time asking Jesus to grant him “two graces” before he died: to suffer what He suffered during the most cruel moment of His agony on the Cross, and to love with the love with which He suffered all this for us. And he became the first saint renowned for suffering the Five Great Wounds of Christ.
“The Cross alone” is not enough—we also need Jesus’ love! Suffering in itself is a meaningless evil; meanwhile love without suffering is usually imperfect, unproven, “wimpy” love. Christ’s Love and the Cross always go together! Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity, following John of the Cross, declared: “There is no wood like that of the cross for lighting the fire of love in the soul!”
Jesus’ Love does not eliminate our suffering on earth, but redeems, sanctifies, and ennobles it! Thus in Jesus, suffering becomes infinitely meaningful, a priceless gift of love uniting us to Him!
Lord Jesus, grant me the grace to fully embrace and carry my cross for love of You! Amen.
Br. Philip Maria Allen, CFR
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