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Vigils Reading – St Rose of Lima
August 23
THE BEAUTY OF DIVINE GRACE
From the writing of St Rose of Lima1
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Our Lord and Savior lifted up his voice and said with incomparable
majesty: Let all know that grace comes after tribulation. Let them know that
without the burden of afflictions it is impossible to reach the height of grace. Let
them know that the gifts of grace increase as the struggles increase. Let them
take care not to stray or be deceived. This is the only true stairway to paradise,
and without the cross they can find no road to climb to heaven.
When I heard these words, a strong force came upon me and seemed to
place me in the middle of a street, so that I might say in a loud voice to people
of every age, sex and status: Hear, O people; hear, O nations. I am warning you
about the commandment of Christ by using words that came from his own lips:
We cannot obtain grace unless we suffer afflictions. We must heap trouble upon
trouble to attain a deep participation in the divine nature, the glory of the
children of God and perfect happiness of soul.
That same force strongly urged me to proclaim the beauty of divine grace.
It pressed me so that my breath came slow and forced me to sweat and pant. I
felt as if my soul could no longer be kept in the prison of the body, but that it
had burst its chains and was free and alone and was going very swiftly through
the whole world saying: If only mortals would learn how great it is to possess
divine grace, how beautiful, how noble, how precious. How many riches it hides
within itself, how many joys and delights! Without doubt they would devote all
their care and concern to winning for themselves pains and afflictions. All
people throughout the world would seek trouble, infirmities and torments,
instead of good fortune, in order to attain the unfathomable treasure of grace.
This is the reward and the final gain of patience. No one would complain about13
his cross or about troubles that may happen to him, if he would come to know
the scales on which they are weighed when they are distributed to souls.