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HOW TO FILL UP WHAT'S LACKING
Saint Francis of Assisi beat himself regularly when he sensed a temptation coming on to which he might surrender. Known for naming each creature as Brother, Sister, or Mother, he described his body as Brother Ass. Francis was hardly alone in what seems to us distinctly abusive behavior. Heraclides, one of the desert fathers, wrote frankly of his body: "I am killing it because it is killing me."
Even Saint Augustine offered in his Confessions that the sins of the flesh rarely left him alone: “I struggle daily against greed for food and drink,” he admitted. No wonder that many saints' biographies down through the centuries include mention of physical lashings, life-threatening fasts, sleep deprivations, and other cruel practices. It was the rare saint like Mother Frances Cabrini, foundress of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, who refused to allow the members of her community any sort of abusive indulgences. Cabrini perceived, rightly enough, that a life fully offered in service would supply its own difficulties.
In the economy of salvation, physical suffering was once viewed as a valuable currency that could, as Saint Paul said of his trials, fulfill what was lacking in the afflictions of Christ (see Colossians 1:24). Any time spent in front of a crucifix assists us in recognizing that God doesn't need our hairshirts to purchase souls from purgation. Better to accept whatever unavoidable trial comes our way as a love offering for the sake of Christ.
—Alice Camille,
reprinted with permission from TrueQuest Communications
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