Avoiding Bitterness In Suffering After my own spiritual journey in the writing of this book, I find hope and joy in these truths gleaned from the lives of my saints: Whereas in fairy tales all the difficulties come first, then the hero and heroine marry, and they live happily ever after with death never mentioned; in the story of the saints being drawn closer to Christ, first come many years of intense suffering with intense joy in the spiritual marriage, interior peace in the depths of the soul, and a promise of eternal bliss. All the energy I put into running away from pain, the saints put into running toward Christ. As a result, when I want to find joy in Christ, I have to retrace my steps, whereas they dwell in possession of their beloved, finding joy in him in the midst of their trials. In their union with Christ, the saints did not suffer alone. Their suffering was his, and his theirs. Everything for them was more intimate, if inescapable. I can imitate them by longing for ...