The greater act of Faith

Each day I try and penetrate the great mystery of God and His paradoxical love. Everything about God is mystery and apparent contradiction and it has been only with incredible difficulty that I have been able to understand how those God loves the most, He has to make suffer the most. I could cite a hundred examples. One Therese of Lisieux is the one who has captured the latest of my attention, but this heavy-hearted search has led me to some varied places and caused me to come to know various events and circumstances.

I have visited many places recently. Let me list some where actual public miracles have taken place.

• Santarem, Portugal- site of one of the most famous Eucharistic miracles in Catholic church history.

• Fatima, Portugal- where 70,000 people watched the sun dance.

• Lourdes, France- where the miraculous spring has healed thousands

• Paray Le Monial, France- where Jesus appeared to Margaret Mary Alacoque to give her the Sacred Heart devotion

• Nevers, France- where the body of Saint Bernadette is miraculously preserved.

• Chartres, France- where a veil worn by Our Lady was preserved from a fire

• Lisieux, France- where the Basilica, parish, convent and home of Therese of Lisieux were miraculously preserved from German bombings.

• Notre Dame, Paris- where a relic of the crown of thorns was preserved from a fire.

• Rue De Bac, Paris- where Our Lady appeared to Saint Catherine Laboure and gave her the miraculous medal. Saint Catherine's body remains there, incorrupt.

• Champion, Wisconsin- where the chapel and a tabernacle of Our Lord were preserved from the worst fire in American history after Our Lady appeared to Adele Brise.

All of these places show that God is fully willing and able to intervene in the affairs of human beings, so it is deeply puzzling to try and understand why He doesn't when horrible people do horrible things and innocent people suffer. God could instantly halt every suffering and solve every problem. His silence can appear cold.

The hard lesson is this. God is not unable to remove your crushing burdens. He has chosen not to. That acceptance is the greater act of faith. Accepting the great pain, difficulty, isolation and humiliation, for love of Him, is the great, great test of faith.

Humble yourself that He may later exalt you. Yes, it's hard work. We long to lash back at evil people. We are called to be go quietly to something greater. He must crush us to purify us. This valley of tears is not forever.