14/09/2026
🌹++HOLY CROSS OF CHRIST++🌹
THE SCIENCE OF THE SAINTS
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HOW USEFUL IT IS
TO MEDITATE ON THE
PASSION OF
CHRIST JESUS CHRIST
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Please Take Time To Read
🙏🏻🌹Beloved in Christ, as the Holy Mother Church celebrates The Feast of the Exaltation Of The Cross, journey along with Me and let's go deep into the Graces and great merits that comes from constant meditation on the GREAT SUFFERINGS (PASSION OF CHRIST)
THAT JESUS OUR MOST HOLY REDEEMER WENT THROUGH IN OTHER TO REDEEM MANKIND.
The lover of Souls our Most loving Redeemer, declared that He had no other motive in coming down upon earth to become man than to enkindle in the hearts of men the fire of His holy love. As in (Lk 12:49). “I have come to bring fire upon the earth and what will I, but that it be kindled.”
Oh, what beautiful flames of love has He not enkindled in so many souls, especially by the that He chose to suffer in His death, in other to prove to us the immesunble Love which He still bears to us.
Oh, how many souls, happy in the wounds of Jesus, as in burning furnaces of love, have been so inflamed with his love that they have not refused to consecrated to Him their goods, their lives, and their whole selves, surmounting with great courage all the difficulties which therefore had to encounter in the observation of the divine law for love of that Lord who being God, chose to suffer so much for love of them
St. Paul in his letter to (Heb 12:3) says “Think diligently upon Him who endured such opposition from sinners against himself, that you be not wearied, fainting in four minds.”
Oh Beloved Souls, was it not this thought that moved St. Augustine and he inflamed with love at the sight of Jesus nailed on the cross prayed thus sweetly. “Imprint O Lord, thy wounds in my heart that I may read therein suffering and love. “Suffering; that I may endure for thee all suffering”. “Love; that I may despise for thee all love”.
Oh! Christian soul, from which source did you think that the saints draw courage and strength to suffer torments, Martyrdom, and death. If not from the suffering of Jesus Christ crucified.
Ah! What shall we say of St.Joseph of Leonessa a capuchin, on seeing that they were going to bind him with cords for a painful incision that the surgeon was to make in his body, took into his hand his crucifix and said “why these cords? Why these cords? Behold these are my chains. My savior nailed to the cross for love of me. He through His sufferings constrains me to bear every trial for His sake”. And thus in his martyrdom, looking upon Jesus who as a Lamb before his shearers was dumb and did not open His mouth”.
Ah what of St.Barlaam, a poor laborer of a village in Antioch having envied extraordinary fortitude during his suffering while contemplating on the sufferings of Christ, and having been scourged until the executioners has exhausted their strength ,was obliged by the tyrant to hold his hand over the flame that burned before the shrine of an idol. At the same time burning coals and incense were placed upon his hand, in the hope that he might be obliged by the pains to let them fall upon the alter, and thus afford them the opportunity of asserting that he had sacrifice to the idols, but the constancy of the saint was greater than their malice .He allowed his flesh to be burned to the bone and expired in the effort.
What of St. Eulalia , a youthful virgin of only twelve years ,who suffered cruelly in the hand of a certain tyrant .The tyrant caused boiling oil to be poured into the wounds in her scourge body .Her joints were entirely dislocated ,the flesh torn from her bones with iron hooks and she was finally burn alive. During all there tortures, she cease not to praise the lord while pondering the suffering of Christ which fortified her.
What shall we say of St. Vitus and St. Agapitus ,youths about fourteen years of age , who during their terrible martyrdom remained constantly and joyful while pondering on the sufferings of Christ .The former was scourged ,racked and torn with irons hooks while the later whose head was placed red-hot coals with boiling water poured over his breast was scourged , and finally beheaded.
What shall we say on St.Francis of Assissi ,a seraphic saint and St. John of the cross , a mystic and doctor of the mystical theology .The former in great sickness while pondering on the sufferings of the Christ embraced his pains with great patience and said, lord, if it pleases thee, send me more sufferings .
The later while being confounded for nine tortures months in a prison, experience there a great joy despite being starved to death while pondering on the suffering of Christ. He often exclaimed, ‘’ the greater the suffering is, the more lighter it is for us caring it for Christ.
Oh! Beloved Christian , who then , can ever complain that he suffers wrongfully ,when he considered Jesus ,who can refuse to obey ,on account of some inconvenience when Jesus became obedient unto death who can refuse ignominies ,when they behold Jesus treated as a fool , as a mock king , as a disordering person , struck spite upon on his face and suspended upon infamous gibbet ?
Oh who could love any other objects besides Jesus when they see him dying in the midst of so many sufferings and insults, in other to captivate our love?
A story was told about a certain devout hermit who proofed to God to teach him what he could do in other to love him perfectly .our lord reversed to him that there was no more efficient way to arrive at a perfect love of him then meditate constantly on his passion . And for this reasons St. Bonaventure says, “He who desires to go on advance from virtue to virtue, from grace to grace, should meditate continually on the passion of Jesus. There is no practice more profitable for the entire sanctification of the soul than the frequent meditation of the sufferings of Jesus Christ”.
St. Teresa of Avila having discovered her mistake, lamented and complained of certain books which had taught her to leave off meditating on the passion of Jesus Christ, because it might be an implement to the contemplation of his divinity .And she exclaimed , “O lord of my soul , o my Jesus crucified , my treasure ! I never remember this opinion without thinking that I have been guilty of great treachery. And is it possible that you, my crucified Lord, could be an obstacle to me in the way of greater good. When then to all good things come to me from thee my crucified?. She then added; “I have seen that, in order to please God, and to induce Him to grant us greater graces, He wills that they should all pass through the hand of this most sacred Humanity which suffered great in which His divine majesty declared that He took pleasure”
For this reason father Balthasar Alvarez said that the ignorance of the treasures that we possess in Jesus was the ruin of Christian. And therefore his most favorite and usual meditation was on the passion of Jesus Christ. He meditated especially on three of the suffering of Christ. His poverty , contemplation and pain and exhorted his penitents to mediate frequently on the passion of our most Holy Redeemer, telling them that they should not consider that they had done anything at all until they had arrived at retaining Jesus crucified continually present in their hearts.
St. Augustine admonishing us also said that a single tear shed at the remembrance of the passion of Jesus is worth more than a pilgrimage to Jerusalem or a year of fasting on bread and water. Yes for according to him, if we think on them (passion of Christ), it is impossible not to be inflamed with divine love. Therefore my brethren we should declare ourselves ready to bear everything patiently for love of Him who suffered so much for of us. For according to st. Pauls; “The Love of Christy urges us” (2 cor 5:14).
Oh! Jesus is loved by few because few consider the pain he has suffered for us (His sufferings) says St. Alphonsus Liyuori.
St. pauls urges us to think of the passion of Christ in order to constrained us to love him. And for this he also said that he desired to know nothing but Jesus crucified, that is the love he had shown us on the cross;
“I judged not myself to know anything among four Jesus Christ and Him crucified “(1 cor 2:2)
Oh! Christian souls, in truth from what book can we better learn the science of the saints, that is the science of “Loving God” than from Jesus crucified?
Oh! That great servant of God, Brother Bernard of corlioner, the capuchin. When his religious wanted to teach him for not being able to read went to consult his crucifix; but Jesus answered him for the cross; “what is reading? What are books? Behold, I am the book wherein you may continually read the love I have borne thee”.
“Oh! My crucified Lord, cried st. Alphonsus liguori , O great subject to be considered during our whole life a during all eternity . A God died for the love of us! A God died for the love of us ! O wonderful subject”.
That Angelic saint, Thomas Aquinas paid a visit to that seraphic doctor St. Bonaventure and asked him from what book he had drawn all the beautiful lessons had written. St. Bonaventure then showed him the image of the crucified which was completely blackened by all the kisses that he had given to it, and said to him, “This is my book where I receive everything that I write and it has taught me whatever little I know.”
To crown it all, all the saints have learned the art of loving God from the study of the crucifix.
Oh! What shall we say of brother John of Alverna, who every time he beheld Jesus wounded could not restrain his tears OR Brother James of Tuderto who when heard the passion of our redeemer read not only wept bitterly, but broke out into loud sobs, overcome with the love with which he was inflamed toward his beloved Lord.
Oh! Was it not the sight of crucifix that made St. Francis of pauola to often exclaimed; “ O Love, O Love, O Love, O Love .
Oh! Was it not the image of crucified Lord that made St. Mary Magdalen de pazzi to become mad for love of him who suffered and died for us .this happened that one day seized by the love of him who died for her, ran to their convent bell-tower and begin to ring great pest upon the chimes , that the sisters came in large crowd and demand the explanation of her conduct and she answered ; I am ringing , that people may come to love that love , by whom they are loved so much .
Oh was it not the study of crucified lord that made St. John of the cross a great saint and a great doctor of mystical theology. Or what shall we say of St. paul of the cross founder of passionist order . St. Mary frances of the fire wound of Jesus. St. frances of the assissi , St. lutgerde of Aywieres , St. Rita of cascia (Blesssed James of month Brandone), St. Catherine of Cienna , St. Gemma Galgani (known as passion flower of luca), St. Clare of monte fallco , St. Agnes of monte pulciano and many of the Saints who by constant meditating crucified redeemer became great saints .
Finally was it not this sweet study of the crucifix that made St. Francis to become a great seraph. He was found one day bathed in tear and uttering loud sighs. When asked what the cause of his grief he replied was; “I am weeping over the pains and insults of my divine master. But what grieves me most is that men for whom he suffered so much never think of the torments he endured.”this happen that every time he heard the bleating of a lamb or saw anything that reminded him of the sufferings of Christ , he was sick and someone advised him to rend an edifying book , but he replied “My book is Jesus is crucified “. He constantly exhorted his brethren to think of this passion of Christ.
Oh! Christian soul, this, then is the book (Jesus crucified). Which if we constantly read, will teach us on the one hand to have a lively fear of the sin, and on the other hand, with inflamed us with love for a God so full of love for us and thirdly induce us to endure all sufferings for love of him who suffered great for love of us. While we read in these wounds the great malice of sin, which reduce a God to suffer so bitter a death in order to satisfy the divine justice and the love which our savior has shown us in choosing to suffer so much in order to prove to us how much he loved us.
Let us beseech our divine Mother Mary to obtain for us from Her son the grace that we also may enter into these furnaces of love in which so many loving hearts are consumed, in order that our earthly affections being there burned away we also may burn with those blessed flames which render souls holy on earth and blessed in heaven. Amen.
