Bishop Slattery of the Diocese of Tulsa, Oklahoma recently celebrated the Pontifical Mass at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. on the occasion of the 5th anniversary of the beginning Pope Benedict's pontificate. His sermon was an excellent reflection on suffering, and is worth reading in its entirety, but I wanted to highlight just one part:
Suffering then, yours, mine, the Pontiffs, is at the heart of personal holiness, because it is our sharing in the obedience of Jesus which reveals his glory. It is the means by which we are made witnesses of his suffering and sharers in the glory to come.
Do not be dismayed that there many in the Church have not yet grasped this point, and fewer still in the world will even consider it. You know this to be true and ten men who whisper the truth speak louder than a hundred million who lie.
