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45Simeon%u2019s words are certainly a sword in the Heart of the Blessed Mother, butnot a mystery which She did not understand. She knew now her position and this was her consolation. She knew that Christ was to suffer, that He was to suffer the Passion and, now, She knew that God had granted her desire to be a part of that suffering. She wouldsuffer the cross of Compassion. She is to be associated in a special way with the Redeemer not only in the Incarnation but also in the Redemption, inseparably linked to the God-Man. It is as if her ownheart were the heart of all humanity; the wine-press in which Christ would trample the grapes alone. She would nothelp Him trample the grapes; rather She would be there to offer her heart for the trampling. Christ would set up His Cross in her heart. My heart is ready, O God; my heart is ready!Her heart would be the weddingchamber, the water to be turned into wine, the wine cellar for the whole work of Redemption. There is no vine that was not pressed in the wine press of the Heart of the Blessed Mother. Thegrapes, the wine transubstantiated on the Altar, have passed through her heart. Truly, God has saved the best wine for last. Even as we appreciate the importanceof the suffering in the Life of Christ, and even when we appreciate the outpouring and the out flowing of all this suffering, we find it extremely difficult, especially in our own lives, to see the importance and necessity of retaining suffering. We want to get past it, and get beyond it as quickly as possible. Even when we acknowledge that all grace and all salvation has come to us through the Passion and Death of Christ, that the whole mission of Mary iscontained in her Seven Sorrows, we still manage to live on in the counterfeit hope that our own spiritual life andprogress can somehow be achieved without suffering or with at least as little as possible. This is certainly one of the greatest weapons of the enemy, one of his constant suggestions: %u201cseek to avoid suffering!%u201dOur nature is a very willing accompliceto this deception. How readily we lend an ear to this new pain-free gospel. This is the gospel which is principally preached in the United States of America. It is so important for us to undergo suffering, pain and self-denial.We need to see it not as a more noble way, but as the bedrock of Christianity! It is the bottom line! If our spiritual life is not founded on this rock, it is built on sand. We need to see the metaphysical necessity of suffering for all growth. Any real growth in Creation is linked to pain; not only supernatural life but all life. If we could see this and understand it, we might be willing to shoulder the Cross. Christ died on the Cross and, after three days, He arose from the dead, and people still do not believe. In order to grow and progress toward perfection, every creature must literally suffer change. The suffering of change requires a dying to self. Sadness and joy are very closelylinked. The only path that leads togreat and immortal joy is the path over pain. The door to Life is death! The grain of seed must fall to the ground. Tension (pain) is necessaryfor growth. If it is not pushing out from within and extending beyond itself, beyond its own limits, there will be no growth. Every increase of virtue