"You can still find a village in the city"
Julie received difficult news after the delivery of her sixth child: due to an infection from the epidural needle, her body was partially paralyzed. When her friends learned of her situation, they started planning how to support the family over the next several months. Julie narrates her own story.
Novena for the sick
"Children. The Sick. — As you write these words, don't you feel tempted to use capitals? The reason is that in children and in the sick a soul in love sees Him." The Novena for the Sick, with many quotes from St. Josemaria's writings, encourages accepting suffering with a Christian spirit, uniting it to Christ's passion and death, and asks God for a cure if such be his will.
Suffering, a Caress from God
St Josemaria recalls the story behind no. 208 in The Way: "Blessed be suffering..." He explains that suffering is not evil but a caress from God.
The Experience of Suffering
Saint Josemaría’s experience of suffering in his own family was a very practical way of attaining the maturity that others reach only after many years.
Among the Poor and the Sick
Among the poor, the sick, and the children, he sought the strength needed to set in motion the immense project that God had placed on his shoulders that day. It was a school of suffering where his soul would be tempered to its mission.