GOT SUFFERING?

Got suffering? Don’t we all? We suffer from the annoyances of life like a sore shoulder, or a flat tire. We suffer the pain of cancer or loss of a child, spouse, or parent. We suffer the memory of our mistakes and losses. We suffer from betrayals, false accusations, and a damaged reputation. We suffer when our hopes for ourselves, our careers or our children are crushed. Yes, we all have some suffering, small or large, every day that we are alive. It is one of the consequences of original sin so it is inherent in our fallen human nature.

So we all have it. Now, what do we do about it? How do we live with it? Prosper from it? Grow from it?

If we only consider suffering on the natural level of this world, then the answer is bitterness, disappointment, victimhood, anger, and revenge. That doesn’t sound like a fun way to live!

How about on the supernatural level? Are there better answers there? Of course there are. In the spiritual life, the choices we have are often on the basis of good, better, and best. So it is with the question of suffering.

A good answer to the suffering in our life is a patient acceptance. When we have the attitude that is the way things are and after all we have a lot of blessings too. In the big picture, we can manage this suffering. That is a good choice.

But what is a better choice? As Catholics, we often take that good attitude and build on it by saying to God: All right, Lord, I accept that I have these sufferings but I offer them up to you so that the graces earned can be used for the souls in purgatory or my other intentions. I don’t like the sufferings but I accept them as your will for your purpose. Now that is a far better answer……… but still not the best!

Both the good and the better choice see our sufferings as bad things that happen to good people (US!). But what if our sufferings aren’t bad but good and to be desired? What if every suffering we have is a blessing, a gift, a Kiss from the Cross? Our goal for our spiritual life is to live the Imitation of Christ. What did Christ do in his conception, birth, life, passion, and death? He suffered. Not even just in His passion and death but in becoming a baby, taking on human nature, living the life we know. He suffered from the instant of His incarnation!

So the best answer is to rejoice in our sufferings! Thank God for allowing us to share in Christ’s sufferings and thereby become even more closely united to Him! Is this an easy answer? NO! But it is the way of the saints. And we are all trying to be saints, aren’t we? Many of the saints went to horrible martyrdoms singing the praises of God for the privilege of their suffering and death!

Today’s saint, St. Stephen of Hungary, was a good and holy king who brought Christianity to Hungary 1,000 years ago. He was kind to the poor and was well known for his generous almsgiving. He would disguise himself so that he could distribute alms without being recognized. One time he ran out of money to give and the people who didn’t receive any money beat him and left in the mud, bleeding and broken. He laid there and sang God’s praises for the gift of being able to suffer like Jesus Christ. How like Christ he was.

His real identity was hidden, he was giving all he had for others, and he was beaten and humiliated just like his Lord.

Today, let us each get on our knees and beg for the grace of St. Stephen to rejoice in the sufferings God gives us. Let us pray that like Blessed Miguel Pro, we will die with Christ’s name on our lips giving him glory even as we suffer and die.

Praised be Jesus Christ! Now and Forever!

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Thank you for the opportunity to be a guest poster on this site.

Originally posted at Friends of Fighting Irish Thomas

http://www.fightingirishthomas.org/ Reposted here with permission.