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and a deep sense of pain at the great pains that Christ endured for my sake%u201d. [160]160. I ask, then, that no one make light of the fervent devotion of the holy faithful people of God,which in its popular piety seeks to console Christ. I also encourage everyone to consider whetherthere might be greater reasonableness, truth and wisdom in certain demonstrations of love thatseek to console the Lord than in the cold, distant, calculated and nominal acts of love that are attimes practised by those who claim to possess a more reflective, sophisticated and mature faith.Consoled ourselves in order to console others161. In contemplating the heart of Christ and his self-surrender even to death, we ourselves findgreat consolation. The grief that we feel in our hearts gives way to complete trust and, in the end,what endures is gratitude, tenderness, peace; what endures is Christ%u2019s love reigning in our lives.Compunction, then, %u201cis not a source of anxiety but of healing for the soul, since it acts as a balmon the wounds of sin, preparing us to receive the caress of the Lord%u201d. [161] Our sufferings arejoined to the suffering of Christ on the cross. If we believe that grace can bridge every distance,this means that Christ by his sufferings united himself to the sufferings of his disciples in everytime and place. In this way, whenever we endure suffering, we can also experience the interiorconsolation of knowing that Christ suffers with us. In seeking to console him, we will find ourselvesconsoled.162. At some point, however, in our contemplation, we should likewise hear the urgent plea of theLord: %u201cComfort, comfort my people!%u201d (Is 40:1). As Saint Paul tells us, God offers us consolation %u201csothat we may be able to console those who are in any affliction, with the consolation by which weourselves are consoled by God%u201d (2 Cor 1:4).163. This then challenges us to seek a deeper understanding of the communitarian, social andmissionary dimension of all authentic devotion to the heart of Christ. For even as Christ%u2019s heartleads us to the Father, it sends us forth to our brothers and sisters. In the fruits of service,fraternity and mission that the heart of Christ inspires in our lives, the will of the Father is fulfilled.In this way, we come full circle: %u201cMy Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit%u201d (Jn 15:8).CHAPTER FIVELOVE FOR LOVE164. In the spiritual experiences of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, we encounter, along with anardent declaration of love for Jesus Christ, a profoundly personal and challenging invitation toentrust our lives to the Lord. The knowledge that we are loved, and our complete confidence inthat love, in no way lessens our desire to respond generously, despite our frailty and our manyshortcomings.38