St. Paul tells us we must undergo many hardships in order to enter the Kingdom of God. (Acts 14:22) A Capuchin priest recently gave testimony to this truth. Some of you have heard of him � Fr. Benedict Groeschel. On January 11 a car struck him, throwing him about ten yards. Sustaining multiple injuries, he spent nearly two months on a respirator. A reporter asked him what it was like. Fr. Groeschel responded:

�Of course it was not pleasant, the suffering. But what I decided to do, since I knew I was going to be silent for a month, was that I would make a rosary retreat. So I said the rosary many times every day, meditating on the mysteries. The mysteries that became the most meaningful to me were the Resurrection and the Coronation of Our Blessed Mother.�

He later mentioned that he had seen an early screening of The Passion of The Christ. It had helped prepare him to face his ordeal. Fr. Groeschel said: �There wasn�t one suffering possible that Our Lord missed. All suffering seemed to come to crescendo in that event, and why should I be different?�

Love necessarily involves suffering. All of us know that. A person who deeply loves someone else is willing to suffer much for that other person. We see it especially as we celebrate Mother�s Day. Almost everyone is certain of their mother�s love. Why? She has suffered for her child: In pregnancy, at birth, then in all that was involved during the early years of care - and the later years of letting go.

In these days between Easter and the Ascension, we hear Jesus tell us that he will only be with us a little while longer, but that he gives us a new commandment: Love one another as I have loved you. (Jn 13:34) We honor our mothers who, by their sufferings, have shown that love.

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