Never shall I forget how it was with our Sister Claudia. Only thirty-five years old, bubbling over with life, never sick, filled with a contagious joy and a fervent love for Jesus, she was suddenly afflicted with a severe blood disease during her ministry in Italy. She returned to the Mother House and was then sent to a specialist clinic. A few days later we heard that there was nothing more the doctors could do for Sister Claudia. Her days were numbered. We were filled with apprehension at having to break the news to her. But what did Mother Martyria and I experience when we entered her sickroom? (Actually she already knew especially after a hint from the doctor.) She looked up at us with a radiant smile that was not of this world. The Lord Jesus had come to greet her and the glory of heaven rested on her features. It had happened during her return trip from Rome, as she recorded in her diary:

“The plane flew towards the sun. All at once it seemed to me as though the Lord Jesus were asking me, ‘And if this illness should lead to death?’ O Jesus, in this moment You have filled my heart with such infinite longing that I can scarcely restrain the surging joy, soon, to see You, soon, soon to embrace You! Will this flight home be a flight into the arms of my Lord? Will it be the bridal flight for me?”

It is incomprehensible that the suffering cause by fear of death can be changed into the most blissful and heavenly joy. What a wonderful God we have! What miracles He works, transforming deepest suffering into supreme joy! Death brings us home to God and His kingdom of everlasting happiness.

—Basilea Schlink

People who are genuinely sorry for their sins are grateful for every opportunity to do an act of kindness for those whom they have a wronged. How much good would be done in our churches and in our nation if we lived in contrition and repentance! How many amends would be made that are pleasing to Jesus! Wounds and breaches would be healed, and in the end we would see that by the grace of God many a good thing has come from our sins and failures. If true contrition and repentance seeks and loves punishment, as Luther says, how much more will it seek to make amends! A penitent heart will seek to do all that lies within its power. Thus there is nothing that brings about so many good fruits in our life as a contrite, penitent heart.

And so repentance is the sole foundation upon which everything in the kingdom of God is to be built. Then our spiritual “house” will have a firm foundation and it will not be swept away when a storm comes. All our service in the kingdom of God that is not built upon contrition and repentance will not be of eternal duration. It will not bring true fruit. O that repentance would once more be a gift we would covet for ourselves personally and for our churches! It contains the greatest blessing and grace for us all.

—Basilea Schlink

If we do not want to come under the curse, whose terrible consequences will be revealed in eternity, we have to renounce all softness, all laziness in our lives; we have to declare war on it. Jesus’ cutting words, “Whoever of you does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14: 33) also applies to our work for Jesus. If we cannot give up our demands for comfort, for much free time and rest, for better pay, they will make it impossible for us to use our time and energy for Jesus. If a soldier were laden with many items for his personal comfort, he could never go to war. Nor can we ever become soldiers for Jesus Christ, or true disciples, if we do this. And quite aside from this, softness and laziness open the door to many other sins which really make us unfit for service.

This battle of faith against softness is more important than ever before, because we are now approaching “hard times”, times when we will be persecuted for His name’s sake. Now we must conquer all softness and laziness in the power of Jesus’ redemption, so that they will not be our downfall in the hour of temptation. It was not by chance that Peter changed from disciple to betrayer while he was warming himself by the fire.

–Basilia Schlink