During the onset of Covid-19 I almost lost my wife. Several years earlier I had watched helplessly as my mother suffered and died of a terminal illness. On both occasions, if I could have taken their place I would have. But God knows better than we do. And it is out of His love for us that God allows suffering to happen. Jesus suffered on the cross to make reparation for the sins of humanity, to heal the broken covenant between God and Man. The “Eucharistic sacrifice” of the Mass is a continuation of making reparation with our Heavenly Father, offering the sacrifice of Jesus along with our human offering in ‘thanksgiving’ (the meaning of the word ‘eucharist’), for the mercy of God – the fall of Adam from the grace of God being repaired by the suffering and death of Jesus Christ. However, unlike my willingness to suffer and die for the ones I loved, Jesus did this for all humanity, particularly for those who hated him – this is the generosity of God’s love.
Our Lady asks us, through Elizabeth, to help her in her quest to save souls for her Son. And Jesus asks us, through Elizabeth, if we are willing to accept our sufferings and our sacrifices for the sake of others’ souls? We are not asked to bear the pain of stigmata like St Padre Pio and others, necessarily, but what we are asked is to carry our cross. The question is, “do we carry it graciously for God to do His will?” We do not need to know His reason but simply accept our cross and join our suffering to that of His Son. Elizabeth helped us understand how this was possible, through the grace of God, and that it could result in saving many souls from damnation as well as releasing the souls of priests (and others), from purgatory. But it is only by recognizing we are children of God, that we see each other as brother or sister and find love in our hearts for others.
The greatest of saints suffered and sacrificed for the sake of others – Maximillian Kolbe taking the place of another prisoner condemned to the gas chamber; Padre Pio offered his sufferings for the souls of others; Elizabeth Kindelmann sacrificed all for her family then proceeded to sacrifice and suffer to help advance Our Lady’s cause; others, such as Luisa Picaretta are asked to live a life of suffering, existing only on the eucharist and we are asked to be willing to sacrifice our human will to that of God, our Father. All we can offer is our will. As with Mary, our Blessed Mother, all that God asks of us is for us to give Him our “yes” to His will, trusting in His love that our small sacrifice will result in the granting of Our Lady’s wish for the well-being of her children and the sanctification of their souls.
Written and Submitted by Dr. Chris Wroe
[1] Kindelmann, E. (2013, p.47), “The Flame of Love”, Children of the Father Foundation