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| Carl Bloch 1834-1890 |
An article by Steven Ertelt in the June 27th issue of The Wanderer discussed an interesting point he heard at a men's conference. "Suffering is progress:"
Christ gave us [the example] in the Gospels of patiently suffering His disciples' foolishness, the derision of the Pharisees and the crowds, the agony in the Garden, and ultimately the unimaginable torture of the Passion and the cross.
All of this, paradoxically, was progress -- progress toward the redemption of all mankind from our sins. Christ thus gives us a template for what we are called to do in life: progress toward holiness, which will lead us to everlasting life with Him in Paradise. This calling, however, is a tall and uncomfortable order, because it inevitably involves suffering.
In other words, stop moaning and groaning and take up your cross. The message is certainly not a new one, but it's one we prefer to ignore.
This article mirrored what I've been reading in Trustful Surrender to Divine Providence which definitely emphasizes the "tall and uncomfortable order." And yet, once we embrace the message and look at suffering with clean eyes, we can experience a freedom and even a joy in uniting our sorrows to the sorrowful hearts of Jesus and Mary.
St. Claude tells us that one day:
We shall reproach ourselves for complaining at what was meant to increase our happiness, for grieving when we should have been rejoicing, for doubting God's goodness when He was giving concrete evidence of it. If such will be our feelings one day, why not anticipate them now? Why not bless God here and now for something we shall be thanking Him for everlastingly in Heaven?
It is clear from this that whatever the manner of our life we should always accept adversity joyfully. If we are leading a good life adversity purifies us, makes us better and enables us to acquire greater merit. If our life is sinful it serves to bring us to repentance and obliges us to become good.
Of course suffering can also be regress. We can reject it, become angry and bitter. We can throw ourselves endless pity parties hanging black crepe in all the recesses of our mind, stir up resentment and nurture grudges until we become like dragons breathing flames of hatred on those who injure us.
Will suffering be that for us? Or will we listen to Christ. "Love your enemies...do good to those that hate you...forgive not seven times by seventy times seven times...bear wrongs patiently....Father, forgive them." Jesus promised that what was done to Him would be done to those who followed after. So why should we expect a bed of roses with no thorns?
Today is the feast of St. Pius I, pope from 140 to 154 when he was martyred. He fought gnosticism and headed the council that excommunicated Marcion who taught that there was an evil creator, the God of the Old Testament, opposed to the good God of the New Testament shown by the life of Christ. (Sounds like the plot of Star Wars.) Even in the early Church the Medusa of heresy was poisoning souls.
St. Pius I and all the martyrs of the early Church show us that suffering can be a joy and that the ultimate suffering, to be martyred for the faith, leads instantly to the foot of God's throne. May we all learn to rejoice in suffering and always to return good for evil.
May Jesus Christ be praised!
To *endure* suffering with perseverance and grit is admirable, but it is not virtuous, not meritorious.
ReplyDeleteTo *embrace* suffering by uniting it to that of Christ on the Cross is, through Our Lord, infinitely virtuous, meritorious.
“Take up your Cross daily and follow me” (Matthew 16:24-26) is the personal, practical essence of our RC Faith.
In her autobiography, Thérèse wrote: “I have experienced tribulations of all sorts and suffered a great deal. When I was a child, suffering used to make me sad; now I taste its bitterness with joy and peace."
Again, the Little Flower …
“Much later, when I understood what perfection was, I realized that to become a saint one must suffer a great deal, always seek what is best, and forget oneself. I understood that there were many kinds of of sanctity and that each soul was free to respond to the approaches of Our Lord and to do little or much for Him - in other words,to make a choice among the sacrifices He demands.”
And
“The greatest honor God can do a soul is not give it much; but to ask much of it.”
And finally, perhaps my favorite, which sums up my belief …
“Time is but a shadow, a dream; already God sees us in glory and takes joy in our eternal beatitude. How this thought helps my soul! I understand then why He lets us suffer.”
To sum up: “24 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:
25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.” (I Pet 1:24,25)