Suffer, Love and Be Silent
In suffering conform yourself to … the sacred humanity of the Redeemer. Love with the love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Imitate the silence Jesus observed in his Passion. (OCL, I, 253, p. 364)
St. Vincent Pallotti propagated a simple formula of “suffer, love and be silent” as a means to true and joyful Christian living. He derived this formula from the life of Christ himself. First, St. Vincent wanted his followers to conform to the sufferings of Jesus in his sacred humanity. When sufferings come in the life of a person, he should not get caught up in them. Instead, he should bring before his mind the manifold sufferings of Jesus, which he accepted freely though he was innocent for the sins of the world. St. Vincent often found much consolation from the meditation on the passion of Jesus. The more a person becomes aware of the intensity of the sufferings of Jesus, the more he is able to identify his suffering with that of Jesus. In this way, he learns to suffer like Jesus, voluntarily and joyfully. Second, St. Vincent wanted his followers to love with the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The “Sacred Heart of Jesus” symbolizes the sacrificial love of Jesus for every human person. This love is unconditional, expects nothing, is always ready to give, does not distinguish between a foe or a friend, and other-centered. When a situation of daily living calls a person to love and to give, the love that was in the Sacred Heart of Jesus, must be his guide for action. Third, St. Vincent wanted his followers to imitate the silence which Jesus practiced during his passion in coping with a person who is troublesome, or a situation that is painful. Living this simple formula makes a person truly joyful, peaceful and tranquil in living his daily life.
Do I understand the meaning of the simple formula of St. Vincent “suffer, love and keep silent”? Do I accept sufferings in a Christ-like manner? Do I love everyone in my life with the love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus? Am I ready to accept the daily situations in which God places me with the spirit of silence that Jesus followed in his life?
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. (Is. 53: 7)