The good are getting better and the bad are getting worse.
But, this is not a negative thought, but a positive one.
God has called all of us to be saints and we are being given grist for the saintliness mill.
Today, I had lunch with a young man who will be made a transitional deacon next year. He and so many seminarians have changed as they have pursued the priesthood. The formation guidelines of the Pope Emeritus are beginning to bear fruit. The seminarians of today are not like those of the past forty years. They are serious about becoming holy.
So, too, are more and more laity beginning to realize that one cannot merely be a mediocre Catholic today. God is calling us all to deeper holiness through trials and purification.
Those who are willing to be violent to themselves will inherit the kingdom. Those who avoid suffering and who only want to stay in their comfort zones will not find God.
But, the really positive thought is that more and more people are turning towards God in suffering and accepting this as part of the process of purification. This is wonderful.
And from the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent bear it away. Matthew 11:12 DR
