You...what have you done?

In Lord, if you Will

Sometimes, lest we forget, we need to be reminded of the power of sin, the power it can have over our lives, the power it can have to change our lives, because it is stronger than ourselves and without the help of the graces from God what might be a challenge could easily become a losing battle.

In fact, the saints were so aware of the danger of sin and the potential damage it can cause, that some would seek, to a sometimes scrupulous degree, to avoid sin despite the cost. In fact, to put it in perspective, St. Josemaria Escriva once posed this question, he said: “To defend his purity, Saint Francis of Assisi rolled in the snow, Saint Benedict threw himself into a thorn bush, Saint Bernard plunged into an icy pond... You..., what have you done?”

It is one thing to struggle with sin, but quite another to struggle to the point of great resistance, to the point of shedding blood. In other words, really fighting, really making an effort, putting everything we are and have into that fight, because we don’t shed blood unless the fight is intense, unless we are making a sacrifice, and unless we stand our ground.