"After such sufferings the soul finds itself in a state of great purity of spirit and very close to God. But I should add that during these spiritual torments it is close to God, but it is blind. The soul's vision is plunged into darkness, and though God is nearer than ever to the soul which is suffering, the whole secret consists in the fact that it knows nothing of this. The soul in fact declares that, not only has God abandoned it, but it is the object of His hatred. With how great a malady are they eyes of the soul afflicted! When struck by divine light, the soul affirms that this light does not exist, although it is precisely because this divine light is so bright that it is blinded. Yet despite all, I learned later that God is closer to a soul at such moments than at others, because it would not be able to endure these trials with the help of ordinary grace alone. God's omnipotence and an extraordinary grace must be active here, for otherwise the soul would succumb at the first blow (Divine Mercy in My Soul, no. 109)."So, according to St. Faustina, during times of temptation and suffering, God is nearer to the soul than ever; but the soul does not know this; rather, it incorrectly thinks God hates it and has abandoned it. The only thing the soul can feel is the desire to sin or the pain from the suffering. In addition, God allows the soul to experience temptation and suffering to purify it and bring it closer to himself.
May we take St. Faustina's wisdom with us today as we deal with temptation and various forms of suffering and self-denial.
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