14. You see, then, that Christ wills to
suffer in His servants. And what if He says to this servant,
“I will that he tarry, follow thou Me,” S. John xxi. 22. and wishes to taste the fruit of this
tree? For if His meat was to do the will of His Father, S.
John iv. 34. so also is it His meat to partake of
our sufferings. Did He not, to take an example from our Lord
Himself,—did He not suffer when He willed, and was He not found
when He was sought? But when the hour of His passion had not yet
come, He passed through the midst of those that sought Him, S. John vii. 30. and though they saw Him they could not
hold Him fast. This plainly shows us that when the Lord wills,
each one is found and taken, but because the time is put off, he is not
held fast, although he meets the eyes of those who seek him.