Course XVI - Teaching 11: Redeeming Passion

Before being able to fly, a disciple must remove entirely the root of evil from his own heart.
Really, this is a painful and great death. It is not death taking your body out, but death taking evil, raising from the earth, driving miseries away, and liberating.
When a disciple starts loving truly, he is strong enough to suffer for his love, and even likes his suffering. First sacrifices and first battles –the cruelest ones– are important. But gradually a disciple becomes stronger and takes advantage of his own sufferings which undergo a transformation; from feared enemies they become instructors that teach and lead.
The greatest sorrow, the hardest sorrow to overcome, is to be deprived of spiritual consolation, because, of course, when a disciple goes forward, has to go through dark valleys and starless nights; and a disciple is deprived of divine consolation by the same generous attitude of removing evil habits from the heart. So, the disciple is very sorrowful for being far away from the Master, and implores:
“Beloved Master, guide me, because You know the hardest paths of all universes, and You are mercy, wisdom and understanding. Seemingly, my soul is fused with shadows, and I do not like anything; it is as if my senses had died and disappeared, and as if I was hollow and void of any love, faith and consolation.”
“Master, seemingly, my night is long and endless. Nothing can give me light in the world. I surrender to your arms and guide. Do not forsake me; do not leave my soul lost in terrible despair, abandoned and discouraged!”
“My Master, In You I trust as a castaway at this hour of hours!”
Before this great fervor, the Master encourages this soul that is in love with God:
“Oh soul, remain on the Calvary at the feet of the cross. What is the use of living with great wisdom if previously you do not overcome this enemy that is undermining your mortal nature? Pay attention because this is a wild beast that can be defeated just by death, and by death on the cross.”
“Live with passion; love suffering, and overcome pain by sinking in it. Sweat blood with Me at Gethsemane; accept lashes and crown of thorns, and know mystical agony and mystical death; know the boundless void and intense cold, which become unavoidable to pass from the kingdom of sorrow to the kingdom of peace.”
“All saints and the true Sons traveled through this path of thistles and thorns, before they reached the Gate of Liberation.” “Sorrow is quite certain and worthy; all the rest is vain and fleeting.”
“How can you fly carrying a shield or being seriously injured? Do not be afraid, you shall have strength to stand your pain. I shall remain at your side, and with Me, my Holy Mother, the Divine Mother of all sorrows and afflictions shall remain.”
“I hold the cross, which you shall receive to pass with him solemn trials of mind and spirit, and to be able to understand absolutely what the sorrow is during this great night. You must shed your blood on this cross, and die of mystical death.”
“My soul, shed, shed your blood; they are no more than little drops of blood; some day you must give all your blood and unite it with my own blood. From now on, know the red ecstasy, –ecstasy of complete surrender. Shed your blood for the sake of men, along with blood shed by Myself. When this blood, pure and free of desires, unites with the blood of all men, they shall be alleviated and redeemed from their evils. Blood is essence of life, and soul of the world; when you shed your blood, this blood pervades the whole earth with its power.”
“Look at Me without rest as the Sorrowful God-Man. Look at My heart as if torn into pieces, as if an arrow had pierced it.” “Certain hidden martyrdom becomes crueler than bodily martyrdom.”
“Afterwards, you shall live in the world, but shall not be of the world; you shall be as if you were dead; the world shall have no power over you. Since you cannot be with Me in the glory of eternity for the time being, we shall be united on earth through voluntary sorrow and mystical death.”
A profound humility emerges from the depths of the disciple’s soul before these holy words; seemingly, a divine veil covers his soul, and now he is invisible to enemies.
And then, the disciple drinks at the Eternal Fountain of Love and quenches his thirst, which tortured him so long during his great human pilgrimage. In this Temple, the inexhaustible fountain of divine consolation springs up to those bleeding souls that knocked on His gate at the high hour of a total surrender to God.