Qualities of Suffering [Part 2] - Unitive

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2.

Unitive. Once gold has been sufficiently purified, it can then be forged by the hammer into the proper instrument; wielded by the hands of Christ. This second quality therefore subsists in the first, in that the purification enables the soul to be united with God, making it a image of Himself; to be as if a 'little Christ' on earth. In this stage, the soul begins to become inflamed with a burning love for Our Lord, and begins to realize what it once thought was love, was only an imperfect affection. It is now beginning to understand what true love consists; not in sweet feelings, miracles, or ecstasies, but in loving; in spending oneself for others; in giving until it hurts, without expecting any recompense. 

As Saint Faustina said; "Sufferings, adversities, humiliations, failures and suspicions that have come my way are splinters that keep alive the fire of my love for You, O Jesus."  

The Servant of God Fr. John Hardon once wrote; "We Love God Only in the measure that we are willing to suffer." ...not suffering for it's own sake, but for others. 

As Pope John Paul II summarized in his Theology of the Body; "Man cannot find himself except by making a sincere gift of himself". 

And so, in this stage, the soul is now becoming more itself--what it was created to be--and her happiness increases exponentially. Just as the force of a magnet increases as it draws nearer to iron, so too does the union between God and the soul increase. But now, the soul is still not yet perfect. Our Lord asks (but does not force) the soul to continue its advance, as He has prepared a greater mission for it. If the soul complies, she may begin to experience intense periods of interior darkness, or nights, where she must learn become detached not only from creatures and things of this earth, but also spiritual attachments as well; at times feeling as if a blind man walking in darkness, relying on only blind faith and obedience as its guide. It is during these periods that the soul makes the greatest progress, unbeknownced to itself. It is only until the darkness passes that the soul looks back and sees a great chasm it has crossed. And if the soul perseveres, the greater will its love be inflamed, until it can be said that Christ has taken possession of the soul..