Newspaper Page Text
The Southern Cross, Page 8
Thursday, April 6, 2000
fs
The factors of
Christian suffering
Jesus added a comparison
that is easy to understand.
“When a woman is in labor,
she is in anguish because
her hour has arrived; but
when she has given birth to
a child, she no longer re
members the pain because of
her joy that a child has been
born into the world” (Jn
16:21).
Jesus did not apply the
comparison to his own suf-
fering but to the disciples’
suffering: “So you also are
now in anguish. But I will see you
again, and your hearts will rejoice,
and no one will take your joy away
from you” (Jn 16:22).
Reflecting on Jesus’ passion,
many Christians focus on his physi
cal pain. A lot of religious art, de
picting Jesus on the cross with his
gaping wounds, reinforces this ten
dency.
Instead, I believe we should focus
on Jesus’ spiritual pain. Reading
the Gospels slowly and carefully,
and reflecting on our lives through
the Gospels, should reinforce our
images of Jesus’ spiritual pain.
Jesus loved his disciples, including
Judas. At the Last Supper, Judas,
eating with Jesus, dipping in the
same dish, was planning his be
trayal. And every disciple abandoned
Jesus when he was arrested in the
Garden of Gethsemane. Simon Peter
denied even knowing Jesus and de
nied his own identity when he was
tieflecting on
Jesus’ passion, many Christians focus
on his physical pain. A lot of religious
art ... reinforces this tendency.
Instead, I believe we should focus on
Jesus’ spiritual pain.... Seeing the
disciples betraying him, abandoning
him and denying him, Jesus must have
suffered greatly.”
sufferings for the salvation of oth
ers.
Offering our sufferings for others,
we ourselves receive the grace of
salvation.
After Jesus announced his pas
sion for the first time, Jesus applied
his passion to Christian life: “For
whoever wishes to save his life will
lose it, but whoever loses his life for
my sake and that of the gospel will
save it” (Mk 8:35).
Finally, for Christ’s followers,
the Eucharist is the sacrament of
Christian suffering and Christian
love. In the celebration of the Eu
charist, we do not think of our
ov/n suffering. With Jesus, we
share our lives — with love —
with others.
(Father LaVerdiere, a Blessed
Sacrament priest, is a Scripture
scholar and senior editor of
Emmanuel magazine.)
At the Last Supper in John’s Gos
pel, Jesus spoke to the disciples of
his departure and his return:
“Amen, amen, I say to you, you will
weep and mourn, while the world
rejoices; you will grieve, but your
grief will become joy” (Jn 16:20).
interrogated by the high priest’s
maid.
Seeing the disciples betraying him,
abandoning him and denying him,
Jesus must have suffered greatly.
■ ■ ■
The redemptive value of suffering
comes to mind when we
reflect on it. Jesus re
deemed the whole world
by his passion.
As Christians and
disciples, we are follow
ing Jesus Christ. As
followers, we have to be
with him in solidarity,
to pattern our lives on
his life and take up his
mission. As such, our
suffering also should
be redemptive.
Jesus offered and
gave his life not for
himself but for others.
In solidarity with him,
we offer our lives not
for ourselves but for
others.
As with the passion
of Christ, our suffer
ings are redemptive,
not for ourselves, but
for others. With God’s
grace we offer our
physical and spiritual
By Father Eugene LaVerdiere, SSS
Catholic News Service
T
or the key to Christian suffer
ing, we should look to the passion of
Christ.
1. First, throughout
the passion, Jesus fo
cused not on himself
but on others.
2. Also throughout
the passion, Jesus
loved everyone, even
the people who be
trayed, tortured and
crucified him.
St. Paul probably
was thinking of Jesus’
passion when he wrote
a stirring passage on
love: “If I give away ev
erything I own, and if I
hand my body over so
that I may boast but do
not have love, I gain
nothing” (1 Cor 13:3).
3. Third, in sorrow
and joy, Jesus prayed
at this time to God
with the title “Abba.”
With the address,
“Abba,” Jesus was
showing to his disciples
his intimate relation
ship with the Father.
In Christ, we share
in Jesus’ relationship
with God. As children
of God, with Jesus we
ourselves can call God Abba!
4. Fourth, Jesus did not seek suf
fering. In his agony in the garden he
prayed: “Abba, Father, all things
are possible to you. Take this cup
away from me, but not what I will
but what you will” (Mk 14:36).
In this prayer, Jesus was teach
ing us the Christian attitude con
cerning suffering. According to
Jesus’ prayer, we have to seek not
suffering but God’s will.
5. Last, Jesus was not passive
but active in his passion. The suf
fering had a purpose for him.
Jesus’ life was not taken away.
He offered and shared his life so
that all people could live, including
us. As we read of the Last Supper,
Jesus took bread, said the blessing,
broke the bread and gave it to his
disciples, and said: “This is my
CNS photo by Bill Wittman
body” (Mk 14:22).
Giving his life, Jesus did not
think of his own suffering.
■ ■ ■
Physical pain immediately comes
to mind when we think of suffering.
But there are many kinds of human
suffering, including spiritual suffer
ing.
When a relative or friend dies, we
suffer grief. We mourn our loss.
When our loved ones suffer pain or
sorrow, we suffer with them.
Sometimes suffering is extremely
productive.
FOODFORTHOUGHT
The problem with real suffering is that it hurts.
Compounding the hurt is this reality: Something about the situations
suffering people face may be beyond their immediate control.
So what happens when you suffer?
You may be tempted to despair. Pope John Paul II has written of this
thread in the fabric of suffering.
Again, you may feel alone, as if no one ever faced a situation this
distressing before. It’s that bad!
Your sense of powerlessness over the situation may cause you to feel
like a failure — especially if deep down you view all forms of human
weakness as failings.
And lacking an instant solution to the cause of your suffering, you may
grow angry. Isn’t there supposed to be a quick fix for everything today?
It’s a fact that many who suffer are tempted to retreat further and
further into isolation from others.
Another fact is that those who have “been there” often are just the ones
to help suffering people see that they don’t have to remain alone, that
they’re not failures and not the first to face a situation that seems “that
bad!”
} g David Gibson, Editor, Faith Alive!
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