TOTUS TUUS, MARIA !

THE MYSTERY OF REDEMPTION

Why is suffering inherent to man’s life on earth?

The core of Christian Doctrine is the Mystery of Redemption. Jesus Christ Himself taught us this Mystery through the example of His Life on earth. His example showed us the Mystery of Redemption as the system provided by God to restore Divine Life in creation, for creation is prone to deterioration on account of the sins of humanity.

God created man with the intention that the latter would lead a holy life. However, man committed the original sin: the sin of disobedience towards the voice of God. After the original sin man’s body and mind became vulnerable and subject to diseases and all kinds of suffering. All suffering became a means of expiation for the burden of sin and of reconciliation of God with mankind. After the original sin God could have exterminated the earth, for man had broken his covenant with God, the covenant by virtue of which man had the duty to maintain the earth in its holy state, in exchange for which he had been allowed to live on this earth in eternal grace. However, instead of destroying the creation of His hands, God gave man the opportunity to redeem the loan He had granted to him: the loan of which the object was, to grant the world a time of grace. The redemption of this loan by mankind is effected in instalments, each consisting of elements of suffering. Each element of suffering consecrated to God by man from his own free will and with all his heart (preferably through the hands of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary) constitutes an instalment of redemption, whereas each sin increases the overall amount to be redeemed. Indeed, the original sin was immediately followed by innumerable sins to be committed day after day. Consequently, creation was distorted by an ever increasing disequilibrium, which can only be tolerated by Divine Justice until a certain point has been exceeded. As long as this disequilibrium is maintained (and gets even worse), the life of each human soul on earth merely serves one single purpose: the accomplishment of God’s Plan of Salvation with the intention of establishing the Kingdom of God’s Justice on earth.

The great example was given to us in the Incarnation of God’s Son, Jesus Christ, in the blessed womb of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary: He led a life of emotional and physical suffering, which was to end in the Holy Passion and the Death on the Cross. God expects every Christian to follow this example in his or her own life. This is exactly what Jesus means when He says: "Whoever will come after Me, must take up his cross and follow Me". And in the words of Saint Paul: "Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of His body, which is the church". "Taking up your cross" means, genuinely and lovingly accepting whatever Divine Providence leads towards your path at any given moment, because Divine Providence, in its infinite wisdom, knows exactly what you need every moment of the day and night, or what is at that specific moment favourable for the sanctification of your soul and for the accomplishment of God’s Plan of Salvation.

Behold then, in this, the deep sense of all suffering. On account of the fact that, from the creation of man, God allowed the latter to follow his own free will, and that, on account of His Love for man, He has never taken free will away from man, God can not do anything if man, through the infinity of his sins, leads the world to ruin. The only remedies for this are fervent prayer, total and unconditional consecration to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, and all suffering which is accepted wholeheartedly and is consecrated to God by laying it into the most pure hands of Mary. God wishes all souls to be happy, yet He considers happiness first of all to be eternal happiness after life on earth. Life on earth is nothing more than a phase of transition, which is granted to you for the purpose of sanctification, for you to deserve eternal bliss in heaven. The only happiness God really wants to have you experience on earth, is the happiness associated with the experience of the true peace of heart. Peace of heart is the foundation for the real freedom of the soul, and the fullness of this freedom is the state of holiness, which you can achieve mainly through suffering and trials. The consecration of each and any trial in daily life into the hands of your celestial Mother, who is hereby enabled to truly wield all Her power as your Mistress, is your contribution to the achievement of the Divine Plan of Salvation. This is the key which will open for you the gate to the Kingdom of eternal bliss, which will be given to you from God’s hand as the final reward. Therefore suffering here on earth is the supreme privilege.

Only the perfect following of Jesus Christ (which also expresses itself in the willingness to accept all suffering in love) opens the soul to sanctifying grace. As long as man lives in his mortal body, he is deemed to make himself available for the accomplishment of God’s Will. What does God want ? The sanctification of every man and the foundation of His Kingdom on earth. These graces are showered upon mankind on the basis of the efforts in prayer and suffering, through the intervention of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, who is invested with the unlimited power of God over each man’s fate in these end times. It is She who is to overcome Satan and all forces of darkness by crushing the serpent from hell under Her foot. Mary can only exercise Her full heavenly power through the offering of sufferings and trials of every soul that is totally consecrated to Her. Suffering is the purest form of Love. What, essentially, is Love? Love is the essence of the Divine force which animates the whole of creation, and the force which sets all graces in motion. By consecrating your suffering to the Queen and Mistress of Heaven, you enable Her to make you a 'co-redeemer' of humanity. Exactly this is the pure charity that is going to open the treasuries of eternal life for you and for the whole of mankind, in the most holy name of Christ, who let Himself be crucified on account of His Love for you.

Myriam, November 2005