… the heart of the beloved Son of the Father, of the beloved son of Mary, is a royal heart, a magnanimous heart, a heart that loves to share its joys, but desires to bear suffering alone… In his agony, is not Jesus asking the Father to allow him to carry everything by himself, to spare his mother and to spare John, and also to spare us all our suffering? …
When we love, we go beyond our suffering; our hurts are still there, but they are transformed by love, and we only see the intensity of love, a love which seeks union [with the beloved]… This is… the essential requirement of love. The more we receive, the more we give; and when we receive infinitely, we give without limit.
With Open Hands 