–“May the Passion of Christ be always in our hearts”–
Today is the feast day of St. Paul of the Cross...I never knew of him until 6 years ago today.. I always felt the Passion of Christ.. at the lost of our son.. Pablo de La Cruz.. Yes.. nothing in the world perpares you for the lost of a child but only the Passion of Christ perpares you for the rest of your life to live with that lost.There is a great day to read about him but I found the following ....
In 1714 a young northern Italian, Paul Danei, had a striking experience of God. It happened during an ordinary sermon in an ordinary church, preached by an unknown parish priest. "Go, sell all you have and come follow me." A sense of God and a desire to serve him filled his heart. Over the years, the experience grew, and it centered on the Passion of Jesus Christ. From the sermon he heard in church, the young man gained a life-long respect for preaching. In his early years he taught catechism in churches near his home; later he became a powerful preacher of God’s word.
The Danei’s were a devout Catholic family. Large families were not unusual then. They had 16 children; Paul was the second child, born in the town of Ovada, January 3, 1694. Only 6 children survived into their adult years; the majority died as infants. So Paul Danei became acquainted early on with the mystery of death, and from his mother especially, he learned to see it through the lens of the Passion of Christ.
Anna Maria was blessed with a deep devotion to the Passion of Jesus Christ; meditating on the Passion of Christ every day. So her children, especially Paul and John Baptist, were given an early introduction to the Passion of Jesus Christ. It is understandable that the Passion of Christ dominated Paul's spirituality.
It didn't hurt either that she wasted no opportunity to admonish Paul, in order to stimulate him to virtue, by pointing out the sufferings of Christ.
Two examples:
In times of pain or discomfort, she would show Paul the crucifix (which I'm sure was always handy and available) and say; "See how much he has suffered for you."
Or, when she would try to unravel his curly hair (and Paul probably crying about it), would point to the crucifix and say: "See the crown of thorns on his head?"
In 1714 a young northern Italian, Paul Danei, had a striking experience of God. It happened during an ordinary sermon in an ordinary church, preached by an unknown parish priest. "Go, sell all you have and come follow me." A sense of God and a desire to serve him filled his heart. Over the years, the experience grew, and it centered on the Passion of Jesus Christ. From the sermon he heard in church, the young man gained a life-long respect for preaching. In his early years he taught catechism in churches near his home; later he became a powerful preacher of God’s word.
The Danei’s were a devout Catholic family. Large families were not unusual then. They had 16 children; Paul was the second child, born in the town of Ovada, January 3, 1694. Only 6 children survived into their adult years; the majority died as infants. So Paul Danei became acquainted early on with the mystery of death, and from his mother especially, he learned to see it through the lens of the Passion of Christ.
Anna Maria was blessed with a deep devotion to the Passion of Jesus Christ; meditating on the Passion of Christ every day. So her children, especially Paul and John Baptist, were given an early introduction to the Passion of Jesus Christ. It is understandable that the Passion of Christ dominated Paul's spirituality.
It didn't hurt either that she wasted no opportunity to admonish Paul, in order to stimulate him to virtue, by pointing out the sufferings of Christ.
Two examples:
In times of pain or discomfort, she would show Paul the crucifix (which I'm sure was always handy and available) and say; "See how much he has suffered for you."
Or, when she would try to unravel his curly hair (and Paul probably crying about it), would point to the crucifix and say: "See the crown of thorns on his head?"
“We are aware that the passion of Christ continues in this world until he comes in glory; therefore, we share in the joys and sorrows of our contemporaries as we journey through life towards our Father. We wish to share in the distress of all, especially the poor and neglected; we seek to offer them comfort and to relieve the burden of their sorrow.
"The power of the cross, which is the wisdom of God, gives us strength to discern and remove the causes of human suffering.”
“The world is sliding into a forgetfulness of the most bitter sufferings lovingly endured by Jesus Christ our true good,” he said.
The Passionists
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