Jesus: The Redemptive Power of Suffering

 The Christian approach to suffering has at its center the paschal mystery – thee mystery of Jesus’ passing over through his life, Passion, death, and Resurrection.

 Jesus did not want to see people suffer.  People suffering stirred Jesus to compassion and action.  Jesus defied his critics and cured people on the Sabbath.

 Jesus so identified with suffering people that he made caring for them the prerequisite for having eternal life.  As he taught in the story of the last judgment, eternal life would be reserved for those who fed the hungry, clothed the naked, gave drink to the thirsty, etc.

 Jesus, both human and divine, suffered with all of humanity.  As fully human, Jesus was not exempt from the suffering that we know – loneliness, fear, rejection, betrayal, pain, and finally, death.

 Jesus was put to death because his life and message were a threat to some.  He did not seek to die, but freely accepted death with love not bitterness.  He did not try to escape from death and forgave his executioners.

 Death did not have the last word with Jesus.  Three days after his crucifixion, he was raised from the dead.  Those who die with love will know this glorious life forever.  Eternal life is not only for life after death; we glimpse it in this life.

 Thus the meaning of suffering for Christians is this: It can be the means of our redemption.  Through suffering we can be transformed to full humanity.

 For Christians, who unite their suffering with Jesus and believe Jesus is with them through their darkest moments, their suffering can change them into more loving, deeper persons.

 Some of these strategies include drugs, alcohol, and irresponsible sex.

 Other people avoid intimate, loving, committed relationships to dodge the possibility of being hurt.

 To choose what is life- giving means that we accept the possibilities of pain, allowing them to transform us.  If we want joy, we have to be open to pain.  If we want love, we must be open to loss.

 Being fully alive often demands the risk of pain.  Once we accept that pain is a price of human existence, we need to ask ourselves: “What do I do with my suffering?”

 Some of our worst pain comes from loss:  Failure at a project  Breakup of a relationship  Death of a loved one  Illness  Injury

 If we deny or ignore our grief, we put ourselves at peril.  Allowing ourselves to grieve well can be a source of new life.

 Many of us are taught to just shrug off our losses.  But until we acknowledge the loss, we cannot grieve it, and it will eat away at us.  To grieve in a healthy way, we need to say yes to our loss.

 Grief needs some expression.  Bottled-up grief turns sour and leads to chronic anger, cynicism, or even violence.  If we express our feelings in appropriate ways, we can come through our grief.

 After we face our loss and release our emotions, we might find that we need to take some action in order to move on with life.  This does not necessarily mean that our grieving is over.

 In the midst of suffering, we may discover what really matters to us.  We embrace the goodness even in our difficulties.

 If we have suffered with another (which is what the word compassion means), deep in our heart we feel the need to relieve suffering.

 Suffering can not be avoided.  It can be turned to good by our choices.  Healthy grieving can lead us back to life.  Suffering can move us to help others.  Redemption comes from suffering.