Visit of St. Paul the Apostle – Suffering opens Heaven and marks
our place in Glory – the Persecution caused by Slander and Envy is
Highly Meritorious – How best to suffer this type of persecution –
Marie-Julie Jahenny and the “Friends of the Cross” will suffering
a 'double persecution' because this mission is a 'double work'
Ecstasy
of August 12, 1878
“May
the Peace of the Lord be in your soul and your spirit, and with all
the friends of God. I am Saint
Paul. I come to say a word on behalf of Our Lord before the entry of
your Holy Novitiate.
Look
first at our Lord on the Cross, and this glance will lead us to
suffer. Let us meditate on the
Sorrows of a God, and we will suffer bravely the trials of life.
God
was the last of men by shame, by the ignominy, by insults. Why would
we not wish to suffer? Do we wish to be above the Divine Master?
It
is not only the pains of life that opens for us the door of heaven
and mark our place in glory. He who does not suffer is not the
disciple of God, and does not know Him. We are esteemed to be treated
as His favoured ones.
If
we are chained by the authority of men, if we can not leave, let us
be silent. An hour will come, when we will speak to the authority of
this land, which is not that of (or not by ) the authority of
man. (Note: the bishop who approved her, Fournier of Nantes was dead
by this time, after which Marie-Julie Jahenny was persecuted by the
diocese and forbidden to receive the sacraments. This phrase by St.
Paul saying a time will come to speak to 'the authority of this land'
could indicate a warning to the current reigning bishop who was
permitting the persecution due to slander and envy as we see in the
next sentences....)
It
is a thousand times better to be silent and suffer all things, (by
those) who speak, with envy and jealousy. These two ways of
persecution are horrible in God's eyes, the eyes of One who sees
everything.
I
prefer, I would rather have been chained for Jesus Christ, than to
have been delighted to be ravished up to Heaven. There, however,
was the joy, happiness without suffering, without alteration, it was
perfect joy, but I did not suffer anything and I did not merit
anything. (Observe: St. Paul's
transports to Heaven gave him heavenly joy and he did not suffer, but
in this joy without suffering he did not gain merits!)
Our
adorable Lord, in the designs of His infinite Mercy, also wants us to
be stoned at the hands of treacherous
language. The slanderous tongue is more dangerous than a
double-edged sword, because the blow of the sword can be cured or
relieved, because it only extends to the depth and width of the
blade, while the stroke of language extends everywhere. In one day,
it will spread around the world, and who can stop it? (Note:
this explains why God sees the sins of slander and envy as 'horrible'
because they do so much more damage than a physical injury, hence,
suffering these things silently without complaints grants great
merits.)
Our
Father the Creator is pleased to test us in different ways, friends
tried, but friends of God.
When
God wants to do a solid work, especially when He wants to establish
the Friends of the Cross
(I.e. Marie-Julie Jahenny's mission?) who worked from the beginning
and are determined to work until the end, the persecution must be
greater, because it is a double work.
Our
Lord, choosing friends of the Cross, requires that the blows are
deeper because the work will be more beautiful. The more
disciples, the more suffering. It is the sign of a great work. It
is a sure sign. Do not be afraid! ...”
**
Notes:
these last encouraging words are not only directed to Christians in
general, but it seems in a particular way to Marie-Julie Jahenny and
those entrusted to spread devotion to her Great Work of the Cross,
which will come after that of the Sacred Heart and will be the work
of the restoration of the Church and the world in France and beyond.
It is through the Cross that the Victory will be gained after the
chastisements. As Heaven told her, the Great Monarch to come will
write everywhere 'In hoc signo vinces' as a sign of Heaven's
miraculous intervention on his behalf:
May
11, 1877: "The Cross will defeat the greatest heroes (of the
enemy). They will bring it to the face of the enemy and it will
give them the victory ... You Christians, who will spend a terrible
moment, take the Cross for support ... When the elected King and
Saviour of France has seen the triumph of France, he will write
everywhere “in hoc signo vinces;” by this sign you will conquer! (i.e.
The sign given to Emperor Constantine.) France will be
under the banner of the Sacred Heart,
the Cross and Mary."
And
again:
October
27, 1887. The Sacred Heart to Marie-Julie Jahenny:
“Blessed
Margaret Mary was chosen to publish the glory of My Sacred
Heart, and you, you are chosen
to publish the glory of My Cross. She is the victim of My Sacred
Heart, you are the victim of My Cross. The Work of My Cross is
beautiful and grand, it will quickly follow the Work of the Sacred
Heart.”
****
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