“St. Brother Konrad von Parzham (II): Intimacy with God”

Yesterday we surely marveled at St. Konrad, whose life became so fruitful and who carried out his undoubtedly demanding service as porter for forty‑one years, until three days before the end of his life. Through him, pilgrims to Altötting were able to experience a profound closeness to God. Brother Konrad himself shared with us something of his “secret of love,” which united him so intimately with God.

It is one thing to gratefully admire such a life and to praise the Lord for it. It is another to thank the saint himself for having listened so well to our heavenly Father and for having served Him and humanity! It is also helpful to ask him to pray for our own path of following Christ. Yet we can take another step.

How can we make the lives of the saints fruitful for ourselves?

Surely it is a matter of finding the source from which Brother Konrad was so richly gifted, so that streams of living water flowed from him into this world. The saint expresses in his gentle and simple way how we should live:

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“THE SCHOOL OF ILLNESS“  

“In illness, one learns much, if one is willing.” (Brother Konrad von Parzham)

The spiritual fathers—among whom Brother Konrad von Parzham certainly belongs—always show us how we can grow on our spiritual journey. When our Father allows a cross—and illness is such a cross—this is generally an opportunity for people of faith to grow and mature. Aside from the fact that it can also involve the dimension of atonement, especially for the many offenses against God and humanity, our Father wants us to learn something important.

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