agony

𝐒𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐧𝐞: 𝐀 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐬? Saint Thérèse freely consented to be associated with Jesus in His agony. This union with Christ in suffering became the highest point to which she had been led in her life, one increasingly “animated by the Spirit of Jesus Christ.” “Do not be anxious about my health, I lack nothing. As to the pains and discomforts which I carry about with me everywhere and always, we should only thank the Good God for these, since He orders them so well that I am rarely deprived of hearing Holy Mass; when I am not able to go dowstairs, I hear it from the little tribune.” – letter of Mother Thérèse to Mother Marie Aimée Lautier, Lyon, 15 November 1884 (a year before her death)