Day 57 of 80

Suffering Becomes Joy

Chapter IX·Manuscript C·Suffering & the Cross
Context
Knowing she was dying, Thérèse found peace in total surrender. God did not need her to actually drink the chalice of suffering in a foreign land — He only needed her willingness. Consent, not accomplishment, is what Love asks.

When we expect nothing but suffering, then the least joy is a surprise; and later on suffering itself becomes the greatest of all joys, when we seek it as a precious treasure.

I know I shall never recover from this sickness, and yet I am at peace. For years I have not belonged to myself, I have surrendered myself wholly to Jesus, and He is free to do with me whatsoever He pleases. He has spoken to me of exile, and has asked me if I would consent to drink of that chalice. At once I essayed to grasp it, but He, withdrawing His Hand, showed me that my consent was all He desired.

St. Thérèse of Lisieux — Story of a Soul, Chapter IX (Manuscript C). Taylor translation, 1912 (public domain).
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