An Easy Way to Become a Saint - August 19

Continued from yesterday...

Chapter 5. The Passion

What must we do?

Clearly, we must love and honor the Passion. The following are very easy ways of doing so. We honor the Passion:

1. By making the Sign of the Cross.
We make the Sign of the Cross very often; let us make it slowly and reverently. Made reverently, it gives great honor to God. Made hastily, it insults God and is a kind of parody of the Passion.

Let us remember that each time we make the Sign of the Cross, a) We offer the Passion and death of Jesus Christ to the Eternal Father, b) We thank Our Lord for dying for us on the Cross, c) We offer the infinite merits of the Passion for our own souls and for the salvation of the world.

Each time we make the Sign of the Cross this way, we console the Heart of Jesus; we obtain pardon for our sins; we help to save the world from great evils.

2. By repeating often the Holy Name of Jesus.
Because St. Paul tells us that Jesus merited His Name by His Passion and death. Therefore, when we say Jesus, we should have the intention of offering the Passion and death of Jesus Christ to the Eternal Father in union with all the Masses being said all over the world.

3. By kissing our crucifix, especially after our morning and evening prayers, and before and after saying the Rosary.

4. By saying the Five Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary, asking Our Lady to give us a great love for the Passion. We thus honor the Passion of Our Lord and the Dolors of Our Lady.

5. By making the Way of the Cross.
The 14 Stations bring vividly before our minds the sufferings of our Saviour.

6. An excellent and most meritorious way of honoring the Passion is by offering all our sufferings, pains and troubles in union with the sufferings of Our Lord.

This gives our sufferings an indescribable value and obtains for us strength and patience to bear them patiently.

It is so easy to say: "All for Thee, Dear Jesus, Who hast suffered so much for me."

7. By studying the Passion, that is, by reading some books on the Passion.

8. Hearing and offering Mass is the best of all means of honoring the Passion because the Mass is the Passion. It has the same value and brings us the same graces as the Sacrifice of Calvary did.

It is lamentable to see how few Catholics hear Mass with this intention. During Mass many do not even think of the Passion. The Mass is not an imitation of Calvary; it is the same Sacrifice as Calvary, though in an unbloody manner.

These are all very easy ways of honoring the Passion....

[Continued tomorrow]
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From An Easy Way to Become a Saint
by E. D. M. (1949)
The Catholic Printing Press
Lisbon, Portugal
With Ecclesiastical Approbation
13th June 1949