Cornelius a Lapide

For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our con - solation also aboundeth in Christ 44 The sufferings of Christ ” are, (1.) as S. Ambrose takes it, those which we suffer for Christ; (2.) such as Christ suffered ; (3.) those which Christ regards as His own, in accordance with S. Matt xxv. 40 and Acts ix. 4, as (Ecumenius understands the words. Theophylact adds that the word 44 abound ” is used to point to the fact that Christ suffered more in His members than in Himself. This is true by way of extension, but not in the way of intension. In S. Laurence Christ suffered the fire, in S. Stephen the stones, in Ignatius the wild beasts ; but His suffering and sorrow in Himself were greater and more intense than what all these suffered. The meaning, therefore, is this, according to Theophylact : Do not be downcast whoever of you suffers from afflictions and various ills, because, however great your sufferings may be, so great is your consolation. But here observe, (1.) as Theophylact does, that S. Paul does not merely say that the comfort equals the sufferings, but that it abounds and is greater than they are; and, therefore, whoever is afflicted may bear his troubles patiently, nay, joyfully and gladly, and so may gain the victory over them. (2.) The sufferings of Christ have this characteristic, that Christ gives consolation in proportion to them, and the greater the suffering the greater the comfort On the other hand the sufferings of the world are vinegar without honey, and as they increase, so do desolation and mourning and woe. (3.) It follows from this that the suffering of the Cross is not to be fled DEUS CONSOLATOR 5 from but embraced, as the mother of so much Divine comfort and joy. So S. Andrew, Ignatius, Xavier embraced it, and prayed daily for the Cross, and would not be set free from it unless God would give them a heavier one