“I am Jesus crowned with thorns, and He is with me in my sufferings.” Earthly life is terrible. It is a real martyrdom, a Calvary we have to climb. Pope Francis is right in indicating the Cross as the heart of our faith. That is, the Cross is not intended as a curse, but as the beginning of a mysterious, and yet real, way to love. In the same way, whatever my mental and spiritual state when I go to the hospital (even when I feel rebellious), as soon as the needle pierces my flesh, I am reminded that I am Jesus with the crown of thorns, and He is with me in my sufferings. Certainly, to live this way one needs lifelong asceticism and the gift of Grace that one can only obtain through the sacraments, a burning desire, and prayer. Being part of the Mater Ecclesia (not of an association), and venturing in deep waters with Him for the salvation of all men, even those I will never meet, is a great thing for me. Touching the apex of what I have always desired–which came before me and I only have to accept–is a Grace that I constantly have to ask for, in order to keep walking.

Maria Grazia Beghin