St. Paul tells us we must undergo many hardships in order to enter the Kingdom of God. (Acts 14:22) A Capuchin priest recently gave testimony to this truth. Some of you have heard of him – Fr. Benedict Groeschel. On January 11 a car struck him, throwing him about ten yards. Sustaining multiple injuries, he spent nearly two months on a respirator. A reporter asked him what it was like. Fr. Groeschel responded:

“Of course it was not pleasant, the suffering. But what I decided to do, since I knew I was going to be silent for a month, was that I would make a rosary retreat. So I said the rosary many times every day, meditating on the mysteries. The mysteries that became the most meaningful to me were the Resurrection and the Coronation of Our Blessed Mother.”

He later mentioned that he had seen an early screening of The Passion of The Christ. It had helped prepare him to face his ordeal. Fr. Groeschel said: “There wasn’t one suffering possible that Our Lord missed. All suffering seemed to come to crescendo in that event, and why should I be different?”

Love necessarily involves suffering. All of us know that. A person who deeply loves someone else is willing to suffer much for that other person. We see it especially as we celebrate Mother’s Day. Almost everyone is certain of their mother’s love. Why? She has suffered for her child: In pregnancy, at birth, then in all that was involved during the early years of care - and the later years of letting go.

In these days between Easter and the Ascension, we hear Jesus tell us that he will only be with us a little while longer, but that he gives us a new commandment: Love one another as I have loved you. (Jn 13:34) We honor our mothers who, by their sufferings, have shown that love.

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