Well Said: Crosses Finish God's Work In Us

Crosses are the great means God employs to deny self-love in us and to increase and purify his love within us. While we, on our side, labor for these two ends by the means which he has placed at our disposal.

The crosses finish the work; without them it would be imperfect.

The reason of this is clear. Self cannot kill itself; the blow must be struck from elsewhere and self must rest passive in receiving it.

As long as I act I live; I shall mortify myself in vain, I shall not succeed in dying spiritually by my own efforts.

God must do this for me. He must act within me, and the fire of love must consume the victim.

There are so many different kinds of crosses that it is impossible to enumerate them all; and the same crosses are capable of infinite variety.

They change according to different characters, different circumstances, different degrees. Some are simply painful, others are humiliating, others unite humiliation to pain.

Some assail a man in his worldly possessions, in those who are dear to him in his health, in his honor, even in his life.

Others assail him in his spiritual interests, in that which touches his conscience, in that which concerns his eternal salvation; and these are undoubtedly the most frequent, the most destructive, and the most difficult to bear ...

All have an effect upon us which inward mortification is unable to produce, and without them we cannot expect to attain to an eminent degree of holiness.

Father Jean-Nicholas Gage

It is funny that suffering turned out to be a major component of the first season of Westworld. I thought it was because it was a modern series, an HBO series (not so much sex in this one, but plenty of violence). In the end, it turned out to have more significance.

At the time, I thought it was interesting because Catholicism puts such an emphasis on the Cross, which, I hasten to add, is different from straight suffering as shown on Westworld. And so it is fortuitous that this quote came up this week, furthering my meditations on the topic.

And, of course, Lent is not that far away with our participation in denying self-love and increasing our love of God.

I am thankful for the mindset that allows me to take this experience and learn lessons, offer my suffering for others so it has deeper meaning, and reset my humility. I wouldn't have those without Christ and the Catholic Church. So much to be grateful for ... including those crosses to help finish God's work in me.