Because prayer at the foot of the Cross deepens the vision of ones sinfulness as well as faith in the love of God. Your evil was conquered and erased by virtue of the redemptive sacrifice of Christ. Through the power of the One whose love for you has no limits you were redeemed. In adoring the Cross you will realize this ever more fully. (In the Arms of Mary, SC Beila)
“Through the power of the One whose love for you has no limits, you were redeemed”
A love without limits. That is hard for us to imagine because our human love is often filled with a bunch of limits.
- I will love you if …
- I don’t love you anymore because…
- How can I love you when …
- If you do this it is over
How many of us had those limits manifested to us before we chose abortion?
- If you love me you will abort
- If you do not abort I will leave
- If you do not abort you cannot finish school/keep your job etc etc
Our human love seems to have more to do with getting for ourselves than giving of ourselves.
I used to hate the cross. It scared me. I felt guilty for putting Jesus there and it reminded me of all I was not and my total sinfulness. I was completely focused on self instead of all He was and his sinlessness and mercy for me.
It also seemed completely impossible for me to meet what I thought were the expectations of Christ. I was too weak, to fearful, too sinful, too needy and ignorant of how to even begin to live the life I felt He was asking of me. I always felt like I had to be a certain place before I went to Him, I never realized that it was by going to Him that I could eventually, please God, reach that place.
While a part of me longed for relationship with Him, I had no inkling of this love He offered. A love that willingly died on the cross. A living love, not 2000 years ago, right here, right now.
Christ’s love challenges us to grow, to step away from self”. The paradox of our faith, by giving ourselves up, we get fulfillment. It is hard to digest.
Most of us aborted because of “self” whether it was pure self interest or self preservation it still was about self. That can be hard for us to admit.
But it is in entering into all the feelings and doubts and fears that caused me to abort, not alone, but with Christ , that I will find peace and fulfillment.
I have been thinking lately abut how much suffering there is in the world. We run around too busy for most things. We have forgotten how to relax and rest in the Lord. So many people have so many crosses, unemployment, addiction, illness, and so many people feel so alone and abandoned. They are so busy looking to fill self they forget that they get filled by emptying self, by being there for others. We are so afraid to suffer with others, afraid that it will touch our supposed neat little worlds.
We are all adverse to suffering. Even in our healing we want it here and now. We look for a quick fix, as if there could possibly be one. Just think of how awful it would be to be able to take the life of our children and get over it right away. What kind of a person would we be? I have always said I am glad my abortion bothered me..I would not want to take the life of my child and be ok with that. That is scarier to me than what I have gone through.
How can He forgive after He suffered so much and died for my sins? Fact is, we are already forgiven precisely because he died for our sins. On the cross we see Pain, ultimate pain and ultimate love in the same place. It is a paradox we are reminded of by many saints.
“The Cross is the way to Paradise, but only when it is borne willingly. “
--------St. Paul of the Cross
“In uniting yourself to God's will, you take on new life and gather great courage, willingly embracing the cross and kissing His hand even when it chastises you, a hand that reaches out to you in love and has no other intention but your greater spiritual well-being. “
--------St. Paul of the Cross