In my last blog, we looked at how God can bring good out of evil. In this blog, we want to look at how suffering is redemptive.

Suffering entered the world with the original sin of Adam and Eve. Jesus, the Son of God, came to earth taking on human flesh. He became like us in all things but sin. The Scripture tells us in Hebrews 2:10 that Jesus was made perfect through suffering. Strange isn’t it? Jesus, the Son of God, who is perfect, needed to be perfected? Remember that Jesus has two natures in one Being. He is fully divine and fully human at the same time. It is His human nature that needed perfection.

Why perfection through suffering? To our human minds and reason it sounds ridiculous; to embrace suffering in order to receive life and perfection doesn’t make sense. In verse 18 we read Jesus suffered and was tempted so He would be able to help us who are tempted and suffer. Jesus’ suffering brought about our redemption. In the Gospel of John 15:13 we read that no greater love does anyone have than to lay down his life for his friend.

Going back to The Story of Ruth Pakaluk, we read “How can suffering be redemptive, as we believe? It is redemptive because God makes it so. We could not actually do anything for God unless he made it so. It helps to take one’s suffering to prayer: ‘There can be no doubt that for us who love Jesus, prayer is the great pain-reliever’ (Saint Josemaría Escrivá).

“A real form of suffering is when someone you love suffers. Christ, as he suffered, was beloved by his Mother Mary and also by God the Father and God the Spirit …. Do not gloss over what is painful. Death is an indignity. It is something to be sad about: Jesus wept for Lazarus.

“Finally, how can we help others suffer? We should, for our part, offer up sacrifices for them, and we should try to explain what it is to offer up suffering.” (The Appalling Strangeness of the Mercy of God: The Story of Ruth Pakaluk, printed by Ignatius Press.)

Let me tie these two things together with a true story. A friend of mine was dying and suffering greatly. Unable to eat and keep anything down for weeks, he grew very frail and the pain increased. When asked by his wife if he was hanging on and offering his suffering up for family members, he whispered that he was offering it up for his sons. He himself had a rough childhood having no role model on how to be a father or how to express love. He had realized a number of years earlier that he had not been a very good father and had hurt his children a lot. He had asked them for forgiveness, but it wasn’t accepted by all. Now he was accepting his suffering, joining it to Christ for them. His great suffering became a pain reliever, healing for his family.

I leave you with the words of St. Teresa of Calcutta. “Suffering is a sign that you have come so close to Him that He can kiss you.”

[Continued in our next reflection.]

For Reflection:
How can joining my suffering with Christ’s be meritorious? Do I ever think of offering up my suffering for someone else? How might suffering become someone else’s pain-reliever?

Prayer:
Jesus, by Your Cross and Resurrection, You have set us free. Help me through my times of suffering. Help me to offer it up in union with Yours for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

(blogged March 1, 2024)
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