Bernadette was often ill and, as a nun, spent many long periods
in the infirmary. A Superior commented one day, “What are you
doing there in bed you lazy little thing?” “Why, my dear Mother,
I’m doing my job.” “And what is your job?” “Being ill.”
29
Who among you has his eyes open?
Who has a heart! Who is resolved to
be generous with God! We see Christ
Crucified, the Church Crucified, the
world crucified! This triple crucifixion
calls us to Reparation! God need souls
to volunteer to offer themselves willingly
to a generous life of reparation.
Here, I am Lord, I will!
Enlighten and Strengthen me!
Already, I am won over to
Thy cause. Lord, I WILL!
When a house becomes dilapidated
and uninhabitable, it has to be repaired
or restored. Christ came upon earth to
make Reparation and for no other
reason. By His sufferings, He came to
expiate the human selfishness which
began at man’s creation and never
ceases. Our Lord could have performed
this work alone, but He did not so will
it. He chose, as associates, each one of
us, every Christian. We must grasp this
truth well. Union is only perfect when
the members are united to the Head
and the Head to the members.
In the Offertory of the Mass, the priest
puts wine in the chalice and, then,
under pain of mortal sin, he must add
a few drops of water. Our part in the
Redemption of the world is infinitesimally
small, but God requires it and He
transubstantiates this tiny addition by
uniting it with His own offering. Thanks
to this nothing which has become
something, souls will be ransomed.