Taken from the Magnificat:
Unmoved by the Waves
In order to acquire and preserve patience, the Christian should always be prepared for any adversity or affliction, from whatever source it may come. What else can be expected from a world that is so evil, from a flesh that is so fragile, and from the devils who are so envious of our spiritual progress? The prudent man will walk cautiously and well-armed, like one who travels through enemy territory. If he does so, he will bear his burdens and afflictions with a lighter heart because he is prepared for them, and when evils befall him, he will understand that God is asking a a sacrifice of him.
When a man understands that afflictions can come to him from either God or man and he disposes himself to accept them with all humility and patience, resigning himself to the will of God and accepting his trails as if they come from the hands of God, let him know that his sacrifice will be most agreeable to God and the he can merit as much by his promptness of will as by the actual suffering. This, indeed, is one of the principal duties of the Christian, as Saint Peter reminds us when he says that we should not be discouraged in our afflictions because we have been deputed for this.
Venerable Louis of Granada
I don't know what it was about this meditation, but I was so struck by 2 things. 1 - that it is to our benefit to arm ourselves in the world. This just reminded me how we are not of the world, and should not look to our possessions and power and wealth as the final goal. Just as one would prepare to go camping, taking the correct items for the journey, so must we prepare to live in the next world, storing up the items that will aid us in our journey to Heaven. 2 - No one can ever fully answer the question when someone asks 'Why?'. Sometimes the horrific events in life are too evil and if we believe everything comes either from God or with God's knowledge, we doubt whether God is all-knowing, all-powerful, or all-loving. But this reading reminds us that afflictions can come 'from either God or man' and thus we understand that because of free will, there is evil in the world. And God does not create evil, but rather allows us the gift of free will to act as we want. Unfortunately, we cannot always see that we are experiencing the consequences of our sinful actions, being so wrapped up in ourselves.
