St. Bede the Venerable, St. Gregory VII, St. M. Magdalene de Pazzi

John 15:18-21

In a TV interview with William F. Buckley, Malcolm Muggeridge told the story of a little old lady who saw a production of Shakespeare’s King Lear and was horrified at how much the main character had to suffer.  When she went to heaven, the old lady met Shakespeare and scolded him for putting King Lear through such tragic pain. “Yes, you’re right, Shakespeare agreed. I could have given him a sedative at the end of Act I but then there would have been no play.” We are called to be witnesses of Jesus’ life in today’s world.  If it is not challenging and painful then we are not doing the job we are supposed to be doing.