history , the power of Redemption in Christ , for the sake of His Body , the Church . 368 Thus , the suffering soul can rejoice that it is sharing and “ serving like Christ ” in the completion of His “ salvific ” suffering in His Church . 369 But , even as suffering remains a mystery and a lifetime reality to man , it was never meant to be useless , nor to be wasted . 370 For when seen in its true meaning , which is in Jesus Christ Himself , suffering should cease to be a “ millstone ” for man . 371 On the pursuit of perfection ( Diary , # 923 ), Jesus demands that the soul gives itself wholly to God and to suffer total abandonment of his own will to His will , in union with Jesus on the Cross . For it is only then , that a soul can become a pliant tool in God ’ s hands and allows Him to do with it as He pleases . In Jesus ’ terms , no other renouncement compares to one ’ s total selfsurrender to God . For He demands a “ burnt offering ,” a holocaust , or total self-immolation , with nothing left of his own self-will . It means total self-giving to God and total self-denial for the sake of God . It means that he relinquishes all of his self-indulgent desires and passions for the Lord ’ s sake . It means embracing a type of martyrdom that seeks death to the self , to the world , and to sin , so that the Triune God becomes the supreme Master and the Treasure above all , in his life . It also means seeking to conquer the self first , in accord with God ’ s will , before addressing other souls and their perfection . For most , it is a bloodless “ martyrdom of love ” and for some , a bloody one , as Christ ’ s follower ; 372 but , with a shared thread of heroic virtue in trials , not for its sake but ordered to God ( Diary , # 304 ). A Divine Liturgy refrain encapsulates this martyrdom , “ Your lamb ( St . Faustina ), O Jesus , cries out in a loud voice : I love You my Bridegroom ; I seek You with painful longing ; I am crucified with You ; in Your Baptism , I am buried with You ; I suffer for You that I may reign with You ; and I die for You that I may live with You . Receive me
368 Ibid ., Pope John Paul II , Salvifici Doloris , VI-27 . 369 Ibid ., Pope John Paul II , Salvifici Doloris , VI-27 ; CCC , 1508 . 370 Ibid ., Catechism of the Catholic Church , 1521 , 1508 , 164 ; John Paul II , Salvifici Doloris , I-1-3 , III-11 , 13 . 371 Ibid ., Pope John Paul II . Salvifici Doloris , I-1-3 . 372 Broderick , Robert C .. The Catholic Encyclopedia : Martyr . ( New York : Thomas Nelson Publishers , 1975 ), 373 .
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