Mother Erene suffered from many illnesses, including cancer, heart disease, headaches, and diabetes, but her face always radiated with a smile. On bearing her cross: “Once, my pains were unbearable. I was praying to thank God. I beseeched Our Lady the Virgin to pray for me. Then I beheld her before me in light. She smiled and asked, ‘Do you remember when I asked you if you would like to be a martyr?’ I answered, ‘Yes, I do.’ She said, ‘I told you that pain, illnesses and tribulations are forms of martyrdom, so bear them.’ Therefore, I constantly thank God. I am happy with illness because I previously asked for that cross. Tribulations bring me closer to God and confer on me many spiritual benefits.

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