Christ came to earth to teach us the value of suffering and help us realize
our mission in life through union with Him on the Cross. Suffering with
Christ for souls; this is the Key of Heaven! We know the Will of God through
the Ten Commandments and the duties of our state in life. Our lives are
perfect in proportion as we do the Will of God. In this world, nothing
happens that God does not directly permit or will to happen. We discover
how advanced we are in the virtue of accepting God’s Will when suffering
enters our lives. If we accept our suffering in union with Christ’s, we gain
Heaven. If we reject our suffering, Heaven is lost. Christ is our Model and
He said, ‘If anyone will come after Me, let him deny himself, take up the cross
and follow Me.”
“We must die. Death is difficult but it is followed by
great happiness. We die in order to be united with God
for all eternity. Let us walk then with great confidence in
God’s Providence, without yielding to the fears which
trouble us. Our Lord will never send a soul, who is
submissive to His Will, into exterior darkness. Our
greatest consolation at death is to be a child of Holy
Mother Church. Many persons at death are tormented
when they remember all their sins. Many feel despair that they have done
no penance and are now unable to repair what has been lost by a life
forgetful of God. Yet, they can do something greater still, by accepting God’s
Will and uniting all their sufferings with those of Jesus Christ and their
death with His! There is no doubt that he who is grieved for having offended
God and accepts death willingly in satisfaction for his sins, will obtain at
once pardon for them all. What a consolation to be able to perform, while
dying, a greater penance than all the Fathers of the Desert and this, at a
time, when it would seem that we are no longer able to do anything of
value! We must not waste so advantageous an occasion of honoring God,
satisfying His justice, discharging our debts and purchasing Heaven!”
(From the Counsels of St. Francis De Sales)
36
Earnest Richard Riegel was my husband. He suffered a
heart attack on 2nd October and passed away on 5th November.
He was given the grace of a holy death. He received
Extreme Unction and was wearing his Brown Scapular. He
told me on Saturday, 4th November, he was not afraid. He
said, “Theresa, don’t cry, be strong; take care of yourself.
I will always love you and I will be watching over you.”
I held his hand and he slipped away peacefully. I miss
him terribly.
< Theresa – NY, USA >