The disorders of the heart are deep, and the path is long that leads to inner peace. In this life, the inner stillness that comes from grace is nothing short of an anticipation of the glories of heaven. The science of the saints is learning the art of entering into the dynamism of purgation, illumination, and union whereby the soul is cleansed and conformed to the Divine will. This is the cycle of transformation that all souls must learn to embrace, the daily dying that leads to the Resurrection.

Often, people revolt against this work of the Holy Spirit because they pull back from the Cross. Each new insight and new level of freedom requires suffering. It means that we must allow the Spirit to awaken within us our deepest fears and anxieties, bringing everything to the Lord with complete surrender and trust. Instead of allowing ourselves to suffer the effects of sin, we prefer to remain in our comfort zones. We may not have made this our explicit intention, but it plays itself out in the ways we spend our free time.

Our goal is nothing short of the freedom offered in Jesus Christ. When we accept that the freedom of the Resurrection is built upon the surrender of the Cross, we allow the Holy Spirit to begin to work in us. This work takes time and patience, but we soon learn that all the pleasures of this world fall short of the glory of God. We lose our attachments to this world and its promises, and paradoxically this gives us the freedom to enjoy this world in all its richness.

Instead of the world being hostile and indifferent, it becomes full of opportunity. What we discover is that the compulsions and disorders engendered in us by sin prevented us from fulfilling our potential. Our hearts become free to pursue our lives with zeal, commitment, and a boundless desire that is the work of the Holy Spirit moving within us. We dream big and we live committed to those dreams. Furthermore, we do all of this in the freedom that allows us to recognize that it was always about making the journey with Jesus Christ.

Today, let us dare to live in the freedom of Jesus Christ. Let us have the courage to enter into the darkness of the Cross so that we might come to the glory of the Resurrection.