sufferings

Sufferings come from God for our benefit.

When we are in the state of grace, we derive immense merit from
every suffering borne patiently, even the little sufferings of our
daily lives.

God will give us abundant strength to bear our sufferings if we only
ask Him.

If we bear our sufferings patiently, they lose their sting and
bitterness.

Above all, every suffering is a share in the Passion of Our Lord.
By our sufferings, we can free ourselves in great part, or entirely,
from the pains of Purgatory.

By bearing our sufferings patiently, we win the glorious crown of
martyrdom.

Of course, we may do all in our power to avoid or lessen our
sufferings, but we cannot avoid all suffering. Therefore, it is
clearly necessary for us to learn how to bear them.

In a word, we must understand clearly that if we remain calm, serene
and patient, suffering loses all its sting, but the moment we get
excited, the smallest suffering increases a hundredfold.

It is just as if we had a sore arm or leg and rubbed it violently;
it would become irritated and painful; whereas, if we touch it
gently, we soothe the irritation.

We suffer from ill-health, from pains, headaches, rheumatism,
arthritis, from accidents, from enemies. We may have financial
difficulties. Some suffer for weeks in their homes, some in
hospitals or nursing homes. In a word, we are in a vale of tears.
Almighty God could have saved us from all suffering, but He did not
do so because He knows in His infinite goodness that suffering is
good for us.