The whole spiritual life is dominated by the Cross. And as the Cross is the central point in the history of the world, so it is the central point in the history of every soul. The Cross gave us life; it will imprint upon our souls the traits of the most perfect resemblance to Jesus; the more we share in His Cross, the more shall we resemble Him and cooperate in the work of Redemption.
To accept God’s will always and in every circumstance In order to attain sanctity, it is evident that what we need is the Cross, and this implies the renouncement of one’s own will; renouncing one’s own selfish pleasures.
And all this means: detachment, crosses, sacrifice, self-denial. It means setting out steadfastly on the way indicated by Jesus Himself:
“If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up and follow Me” (Mt 16,24).
This is the path which the Holy Spirit urges and invites us to follow.
Whenever we find ourselves looking for things that are easier, more commodious, or more honorable; whenever we notice that we are satisfying our self-love, our pride, or see that we are attached to our own will, let us remind ourselves that all this is far removed from the inspirations of the Holy Spirit and, what is worse, it is an obstacle to His action in us…
Therefore, we must not imagine that the Holy Spirit’s action will always be consoling quite the contrary! Suffering is necessary for our purification and, flowing from this, our.participation in the redemptive work of Jesus (Col.1:24) . The farther we advance along the road of the Cross, the more we shall be sanctified and the more fruitful the apostolate we shall exercise in the Church.
It is evident then, that in order to sanctify us the Holy Spirit cannot lead us by any way other than that of the Cross.
It is for us to second His action primarily by willingly accepting everything hard and painful
that comes to us in our daily life.
Often we neglect the Cross of daily trials and prefer one that is far away, and which perhaps, may never be sent to us. We must not seek the
Cross in these extraordinary sufferings, which are seldom, if ever, encountered; we must look for it in the duties, the life, the difficulties, and the sacrifices of each day and each moment. Here we shall find unfathomable treasures, recognizing them by the light of faith, by the aid of the Holy Spirit who urges us to embrace these daily crosses, not merely endure them- -to accept them and offer them willingly, saying with all our heart,
Yes, I want this, even though it seems to crush me!”
— From Divine Intimacy by Carmelite Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen. 1954.
