My Beloved cut my suffering up from His plate into bite-sized pieces for me, so that I would be able to share in my redemption with Him. For that suffering is His MERCY, and I can see that now…
My husband and I have long enjoyed Thai food.
When I was a university student many moons ago, some of my university friends introduced me to the delicious treat that is Thai food, and I have enjoyed eating it ever since.
The other day, my family and I went out to eat lunch at one of our favourite Thai restaurants. And as I sat there watching my children eating their curry and stor fries with great gusto, I was reminded of how much effort I made when they were little to teach them to eat Thai food when their father and I went out to eat it.
We would order food that was only mildly chili and I would cut the pieces into tiny little bits and slowly and painstakingly feed the baby (and toddlers) from the food from my own plate so that they would acquire a taste for it and soon learn to love it too…
And I did not only adopt this approach with Thai food, I used it with Chinese food, Indian food and pretty much every other food that my children now eat.
And I have been thinking about that today, because that process of accustoming my children to Thai cuisine, reminds me of the way that God teaches a soul to suffer for salvation.
You see, Christ suffered and died on the Cross for us. That means that God Himself, became incarnate on Earth so that I would learn how to suffer. Yes, His suffering, death and resurrection, redeemed us all – because it was only by His suffering, death and resurrection that the Gates of Heaven could be opened as atonement was made for Original Sin. And yet, there is more to it than that.
Just as I used to cut the food up from my plate into very small palatable bites for my little babies and toddlers to taste, so too does God provide us with bite-sized morsels of suffering, because although our Earthly eyes cannot understand the point, God’s spiritual eyes can. And God knows that suffering does great good for us – it is the gift that we receive so that we can merit eternal salvation…
And He asks us to remember that. And He asks us to reflect on His own suffering and sacrifice for us. And I know this, because He told this to Saint Faustina… “I remind you, My daughter, that as often as you hear the clock strike the third hour, immerse yourself completely in My mercy, adoring and glorifying it; invoke its omnipotence for the whole world, and particularly for poor sinners; for at that moment mercy was opened wide for every soul. In this hour you can obtain everything for yourself and for others for the asking; it was the hour of grace for the whole world—mercy triumphed over justice. My daughter, try your best to make the Stations of the Cross in this hour, provided that your duties permit it; and if you are not able to make the Stations of the Cross, then at least step into the chapel for a moment and adore, in the Blessed Sacrament, My Heart, which is full of mercy; and should you be unable to step into the chapel, immerse yourself in prayer there where you happen to be, if only for a very brief instant.” (Diary 1572).
And today, as I consider the suffering God allows me, my heart fills with joy – for my Beloved cut my suffering up from His plate into bite-sized pieces for me, so that I would be able to share in my redemption with Him. For that suffering is His MERCY, and I can see that now…
And how could a miserable little soul like mine possibly thank Him for that?
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
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