1. Father, you love what I fear. Reply: I do not love suffering itself; I ask God for it, I desire it for the fruits it gives me: it gives glory to God, it saves my brethren in exile, it frees souls from the fires of purgatory, what more do I want?
Father, what is suffering? Reply: Expiation.
And what is it for you? My daily bread, my delight!

2. We do not want to accept the fact that suffering is necessary for our souls; that the cross must be our daily bread.
Just as the body needs nourishment, so does the soul need the cross, day after day, to purify it and detach it from creatures.
We do not want to understand that God neither wants nor is able to save or sanctify us without the cross and the more He draws a soul to Himself, the more He purifies it by means of the cross.

3. Everyone on this earth has a cross; therefore we must be careful not to be like the bad thief, but rather like the good one.

4. The Lord cannot give me a Cyrenean. I must do only his will, and if I am pleasing to Him the rest does not matter.

5. In this life Jesus does not ask you to carry the heavy cross with Him, but a small piece of his cross, a piece that consists of human suffering.

6. Firstly I want to tell you that Jesus needs those who groan with Him at human sinfulness and, for this reason, He is leading you along paths filled with suffering, about which you tell me in your letter. But may his charity always be blessed; that charity which knows how to mix the sweet with the bitter and convert the transitory sufferings of life to eternal reward.

7. Therefore, don't fear at all, but consider yourself extremely fortunate to have been worthy of participating in the sufferings of the God-Man. So there is no abandonment, but love, and great love which God is showing you. Your state is not one of punishment, but one of exquisite love. Therefore bless the Lord for this, and resign yourself to drinking the chalice of Gethsemane.

8. I understand very well, that your Calvary is becoming more and more painful. But remember that it was on Calvary that Jesus redeemed us, and the salvation of redeemed souls must be accomplished there.

9. I know you are suffering a great deal, but isn't this, perhaps, the jewels of the Spouse.

10. Our Lord sometimes makes you feel the weight of the cross. This weight seems unbearable but you carry it because, in His love and mercy, the Lord helps you and gives you strength.

11. Some interior consolations are for infant souls. They are not signs of perfection. It is not consolations that are needed, but suffering. Aridity, listlessness, helplessness, these are the signs of real love. Suffering is pleasant. Exile is beautiful because by suffering we have something to give to God. The gift of our pain, of our sufferings is a great thing, which we cannot do in Paradise.

12. I would prefer a thousand crosses, or rather, every cross would be sweet and light for me if I did not have this trial of always being uncertain if my works are pleasing to the Lord... it is painful to live like this... I resign myself, but my resignation, my fiat seems so cold to me, so useless!... what a mystery! Jesus alone must see to it.

13. Love Jesus, love Him a lot, but to do this, be ready to love sacrifice more.

14. The good-hearted man is always strong; he suffers, he sheds tears and he consoles himself sacrificing himself for God and his neighbour.

15. He who begins to love, must be ready to suffer.

16. Suffering has been loved joyfully by great souls. It is the auxiliary of creation after the unfortunate fall; it is a most powerful lever to raise man up again, it is the helping hand of Infinite Love for our regeneration.

17. Do not fear adversities because they place the soul at the foot of the cross and the cross places it at the gates of Heaven, where it will find He who triumphed over death and will introduce it to eternal life.

18. If you suffer with resignation in doing His will, you do not offend Him but love Him. And your heart will find great comfort in remembering that in your hour of pain Jesus Himself suffers in you and for you. He did not abandon you when you fled from Him; why should He abandon you now that you are proving your love for Him by the martyrdom of your soul?

19. Let us not spare ourselves on our ascent to Calvary for love of He who sacrificed Himself for love of us and let us be patient, certain of our flight for Tabor.

20. Keep strongly and constantly united to God, consecrating all your affections, torments, and your entire self to Him, patiently awaiting the return of that beautiful sun, whenever the Spouse is pleased to visit you through trials of aridity, desolation and darkness of spirit.

21. Yes, I love the Cross, the Cross alone; I love it because I see it always behind Jesus.

22. True servants of God have always preferred adversity as being more in conformity with the way taken by our Head, who worked out our salvation by means of the cross and humiliations.

23. The lot of chosen souls is to suffer. God, the author of all grace and of every gift leading to salvation, has decreed that glory will be ours on condition that we endure suffering in a Christian spirit.

24. Always love suffering, which, besides being the work of Divine Wisdom, reveals the work of his love to us even more.

25. Let nature resent suffering because there is nothing more natural than this except sin. With divine help, your will, will always be superior to it, and divine love will always be in your soul, if you do not cease to pray.

26. Life is a Calvary; but we must climb it cheerfully. Crosses are the jewels of the Bridegroom and I am jealous of them. My sufferings are pleasing. I suffer only when I have nothing to suffer.

27. The God of Christians is the God of metamorphosis; you throw your sufferings into his bosom and you draw out peace; you throw in despair and you see hope coming to the surface.

28. The angels are jealous of us for one reason only; they are not able to suffer for God. Only through suffering can a soul say with certainty; "My God, You see I do love You!"

29. Bearing physical and moral ailments is the worthiest offering you can make to He who saved us through suffering.

30. I am extremely pleased to hear that the Lord is always generous with his caresses towards your soul. I know you are suffering, but isn't this suffering a sure sign that God loves you?

31. Accept all the suffering and incomprehension that comes from Above. In this way you will perfect and sanctify yourself.