On one occasion, Saint Gertrude asked the Lord why He had allowed certain people to frighten her. The Lord replied: “When a father’s hand wants to reprimand a child, the rod cannot resist. Therefore, I would like my chosen ones never to blame the people through whom they are purified, but rather to see my fatherly love behind them, for I would never allow even the slightest wind to blow against them if I did not have their eternal salvation in mind. Instead, they should have compassion on those who are stained while they themselves are purified.”
With this answer, our Father introduces us to a higher level of His school, wishing to advance us on the path of love. These are very concrete guidelines on how to put the commandment to love our enemies into practice—a task that far exceeds our natural capabilities.
We have heard that when we must suffer at the hands of others, we are to lift our gaze to God and not remain focused on the person through whom He makes us feel His “rod.” This is only possible if we have great trust in the Lord and are convinced of His fatherly love, which He never withdraws from us. Certainly, we will not always understand this easily or immediately. Nevertheless, we must put it into practice in concrete situations.
God allows things to happen to us not because He has withdrawn His love, but because He wants us to grow and mature. Let us never forget that our Lord Himself exclaimed on the cross: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Lk 23:34). We must not only admire His love but also imitate it. To do so, we must allow ourselves to be transformed by our Heavenly Father. It is in this context that the “rod” must be understood. Thus, the Lord invites us to have compassion on those who harm themselves while we derive spiritual benefit from the stain they inflict on themselves.