Boot Camp and Ranger School

If a person is not concentrating on being holy and being able to stand in the midst of evil and be peaceful, one is missing the graces God is pouring out at this time. This is exactly what God is teaching me in this Dark Night.

No comforts, no consolations, no answers to prayers, no pats on the back, no daily perception of love. One must be detached from injuries, slights, even hatred, even or especially from family members. The saints did not mind being surrounded by people who hated them, as we see in their writings. How did they get to this point?

Boot Camp. Ranger School for some.

Humility.

Perfection comes at a price and that price is real suffering and purification.

He is getting us ready for tribulation. What happens in persecution? You will be surrounded by people who will hate you, and want to make you miserable.

This is wearying.

This causes sorrow, but only for the person who has not put the nail in the predominant faults of vainglory, pride, presumption. sloth, gluttony, anger, and so on.

When one is made holy, one is no longer upset about people treating one badly. One rejoices. 

When one can honestly be peaceful in Christ amidst hatred and negativity, one has conquered certain predominant faults. Learning to live amidst hatred demands all the virtues. The life of virtues demands prayer, fasting, mortification.

One must be doing extra mortification now. This is BOOT CAMP, and for many, this is Ranger School. If you make it through God's Ranger School, you will be purified.