Daily Thought For August 15, 2015

The Sacrifices Called For In Marriage

Sometimes our health and our own duties do not allow us to suffer the hardships of penance, even though everybody admits that the road of our earthly existence is covered with small crosses. The acceptance of these crosses in the spirit of penance is the vast field where we can exercise penance.

Besides, we are to fulfill our everyday duties and the will of God in every instant of our lives. The latter, which we must do perfectly in every action, word, and thought, demands giving up a lot of things we like: and this is a plentiful source of penance.

However, Jesus urges us not to be sad when doing penance, but to do it for love.

A soul that loves God is always ready to please, with every thought, word, and action, throughout one’s entire existence. And should any affection be sacrificed in order to give joy to God, we should consider ourselves fortunate to have the opportunity to prove our unselfish love.

That is why the saints were always willing to make sacrifices and to suffer. In fact, that was how they could prove the purity of their love; in the cross their love was purified and every affection that was contrary to it was rooted out.


Thus, we can all do penance without considering our health conditions, the type of occupations and duties that our own status or calling in life calls for; in fact, we can do penance every moment of our lives, as long as we do it for love.

Saint Maximilian Kolbe