On Suffering

By -

 

 


Suffering. 

It is something we all experience to some degree in this life. But suffering, in and of itself, does not add one iota of meaning or value to our life, unless it is attached to the suffering of Jesus, especially his death on the cross.

His suffering is where Christian suffering finds its meaning.

Through the suffering of Jesus, we find sacrifice of worth.  We learn what love means.  We discover God touching man at the very heart of our lived experience.

Joy is easy. Happiness is delightful.  But when it comes to suffering, we cannot endure it as emptiness.  It becomes unbearable unless we offer it for others and see it as a shared experience with Christ.

We may automatically think of suffering as physical pain or illness, but in its fullness, it encompasses a whole range of lived, personal human battles and trauma.

Whatever you might be going through at this moment, I encourage you to sit quietly, crucifix in hand, and think about what Christ went through, for you and me.

On the cross, Jesus offered forgiveness.  He took our sins upon his own body.  He suffered humiliation, and he displayed strength while his body was growing weaker.

Whatever you discover from his cross, tie it to whatever you are dealing with right now, and you will find meaning.  Let your loneliness, desperation or exhaustion be given new life in Christ.

Without Jesus, life loses its meaning. Why would we ever try to go through it without him?

Janet Cassidy
Email me at: jmctm2@gmail.com

janetcassidy.com
https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith/
https://www.youtube.com/@janetcassidy


 



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

SAINT ELIZABETH, MOTHER OF JOHN THE BAPTIST- Feast: November 5

By -
Image
Elizabeth appears in the Gospel of Luke, where she is described as “righteous in the eyes of God, observing all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly,”.  I imagine that she was warm, loving and obviously a safe harbour for young Mary, who was not married when she conceived.  When Mary came to visit her, Elizabeth was pregnant with St. John the Baptist and in her sixth month: “Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And how have I deserved that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, the moment that the sound of thy greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is she who has believed, because the things promised her by the Lord shall be accomplished.” 
Read more

The Memorare

By Helen Gonsalves -
Image
This popular prayer, a favorite of many Catholics, dates back to the 15th century and takes its name from the first Latin word of the prayer, "memorare," which means "remember." The Memorare is of unknown authorship, although it has been attributed to St. Augustine (354-430), St. John Chrysostom (c. 347-407) and, with more reason, to St. Bernard of Clairvaux (c. 1090-1153). St. Bernard's sermons on Mary were famous, and it was his Cistercian monks in the monastery of Citeaux in the 12th century who popularized the name "Our Lady" for Mary. The Memorare has also been attributed to the French cleric Claude Bernard (1588-1641), known as the "poor priest" of Paris, whose homilies contain passages that echo its words. No matter who wrote this prayer, it was Father Bernard who did much to popularize it, teaching it in hospitals and prisons, where Mary's intercession was effective in working miracles of grace. The first manuscript of the Mem...
Read more

'Greater Love: Richie Fernando SJ', a joy-filled Filipino missionary

By -
Image
 I haven't been able to post for more than a week as I was giving an eight-day directed retreat to eight sisters of the Missionaries of Charity near Manila. While I had some access to the internet it was rather slow. I had intended to make a post here on the murder of Fr Fausto Tentorio PIME , a 59-year-old Italian priest, in the Diocese of Kidapawan, Mindanao, on Monday 17 October. I will save that post for a later date. As I was looking for a video about Father Fausto I came across one about Brother Richard Michael 'Richie' Fernando SJ, a Filipino Jesuit scholastic who died while trying to prevent a troubled and disabled young man in Cambodia from throwing a grenade. That was in 1996 - on 17 October. Father Fausto gave his life exactly 15 years later. I remember the mixture of sorrow and pride I felt when I read of the death of Brother Richie, pride as a missionary in the Philippines that a young Filipino seminarian had given his life so spontaneously in order to sav...
Read more