Sadness, Overwhelm
Sadness is a human emotion felt on account of an evil that affects us. In the writings of Maria Valtorta, sadness relates either to an act of charity, or to the distress that generates fears and discouragements.
In "The Gospel as It Was Revealed to Me"
- You are subjected to one of those Hours of sadness and disgust that our human nature encounters on its path. No one is exempt, because these Hours are stirred up by the one who hates man.[2]
- Jesus shakes His head with a pained smile to His Apostles who notice the infinite weariness of His limbs, His voice, and especially His Heart, too afflicted, too exhausted by the effort of holding so many different Hearts united, of having to bear and keep Hidden the dishonor of the incorrigible disciple...[3]
- The sadness of The Spirit, the fear of tomorrow, worries are always weapons that man places in the hand of his adversary. He frightens him with the very ghosts that man creates.[4]
- Repentance is a form of love. The one who repents says to God by his repentance: "I cannot remain under the threat of your wrath, because I love You and I want to be loved".[5]
- There is no sin that God does not forgive if the sinner is truly repentant.[6]
- Even grief for a mistake committed, which afflicts you because through this mistake you have displeased God, must be peaceful, comforted by humility and trust. Distress, self-reproach is always a sign of Pride, and thus also of distrust.
If someone is humble, he knows he is a poor man subject to the miseries of the flesh which sometimes prevails. If someone is humble, he trusts not so much in himself but in God and remains calm, even in defeat, saying: "Forgive me, Father. I know that You know my weakness which sometimes wins. I believe that You have mercy on me. I firmly trust that You will help me in the future even more than before, though I give You so little satisfaction".
And do not be indifferent or stingy with the goods of God. Give from what you have in wisdom and virtue. Be active in spiritual matters as men are for things of the flesh.[7]
In Other Works of Maria Valtorta
Notebooks of 1943
Guilty sadness is that which comes from the inability to endure things and the crosses, human first, supernatural second. Guilty sadness is the thirst for possessions, for riches, that remains unsatisfied, or the feeling that comes after satisfaction, which leaves you sadder than before because your Conscience weeps. It is that sadness that I condemn. But good sadness, which is felt for the misfortunes of others more than for one’s own, the affliction of seeing God vilified, the sorrow of seeing dear bonds break, that sadness I do not condemn. I have experienced it long before you and have wept.[8]
In Fundamental Christian Texts
In the Bible
- Divert your Soul, comfort your Heart and cast sadness far from you; for sadness has caused the loss of many, and gain nothing by surrendering to it.[9]
- The young man went away sorrowful, because he had great possessions (Matthew 19:22 – Mark 10:22 – Luke 18:23)
- My Soul is sorrowful unto death (Matthew 26:38 – Mark 10:22 – Luke 18:23)
In the Catechism of the Catholic Church
- 1431: Interior penance is a conversion of our whole Heart towards God. This conversion of Heart is accompanied by a salutary pain and sadness which the Fathers called animi cruciatus (affliction of the spirit), compunctio cordis (repentance of the Heart).
- 1765: The apprehension of evil causes hatred, aversion, and fear of future evil. This movement ends in sadness for the present evil or the anger opposing it.
- 1772: The main passions are love and hatred, desire and fear, joy, sadness and anger.
- 2539: Envy is a capital vice. It signifies the sadness experienced at the good of another and the immoderate desire to appropriate it, even unjustly.
- 2728: Our struggle must face what we feel as failures in prayer: ... sadness of not giving all to the Lord, because we have "great possessions"...