Among the many universal truths that neither humanity, nor the individuals in humanity, can negate is the following: suffering visits all people in every time, place, culture and epoch. Suffering is both inevitable and unavoidable!
In its essence suffering might be termed a moral-neutral—meaning it is neither good nor bad. It all depends on how we encounter and interpret suffering. If you like, suffering can make us better or bitter, one or the other! Suffering can sanctify us or the contrary, suffering can transform us into cranky, crotchety and even cantankerous individuals.
Most religions ignore, obviate, or deny the reality of suffering, even though its presence is ubiquitous, like having an elephant in the bathroom with you!
WHO TAUGHT US THE MEANING AND VALUE OF SUFFERING?
It was Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who taught us the meaning of life, the meaning of all forms of suffering, as well as the meaning of death itself. As the Son of God made man, Jesus taught us that suffering has great value.
Pope Saint John Paul II wrote a powerful document on human suffering, Salvific Dolores— the salvific meaning of suffering. Shot by a would be assassin, suffering from an internal tumor, as well as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, rendered almost unable to speak—all of these and many more were the sufferings of this great Pontiff. Not only did he write eloquently on suffering and its salvific value, but he lived it in his own flesh.
Taking into account the reality of suffering, let us all strive to recognize our own sufferings. More important, let us not waste our sufferings but unite them to the sufferings of Jesus on the cross. Of even greater importance, let us deposit our sufferings on the altar in the Mass, both on the paten and in the chalice. The sufferings of Jesus on Calvary are present in every Mass. Let us, then, unite our sufferings to the Passion, suffering and death of Jesus renewed in every Mass. If done, your sufferings will have infinite value.
VARIOUS FORMS OF THE SUFFERING THAT JESUS UNDERWENT FOR US….
We can fall into the overly simplistic, erroneous and lopsided interpretation of Jesus’ suffering as being limited to mere physical suffering. We must transcend that myopic and extremely narrow view of Jesus’ suffering. Following is a brief survey of the multiple forms of suffering that Jesus underwent in His life, most especially related to His last few hours that we call His Passion, suffering and death. We invite all to meditate upon these, as well as to contemplate the enormity of the sufferings of Jesus. Of greatest importance regarding the sufferings of Jesus is the following: He underwent every detail of His sufferings for love of you and me, and for the sake of our eternal salvation. As Saint Paul reminds us: “He loved me and gave Himself up for me….” (Gal 2:20)
1. PHYSICAL SUFFERING. As mentioned above, the most obvious form of the suffering of Jesus was His physical suffering, numerous and excruciatingly painful: His scourging at the Pillar, His crowning with thorns, His carrying of the cross and several falls, His crucifixion, His agonizing suffering on the cross, His immense loss of Blood, His asphyxiation… and many others.
2. MENTAL SUFFERING. Take the crowning with thorns. Not only did this represent an intense physical torment, but also mental torment and anguish. He suffered this for all of us who suffer, have suffered and will suffer mental anguish. We only have to unite our mental anguish to that of Jesus and it will have infinite value.
3. EMOTIONAL SUFFERINGS. This can be seen most clearly when Jesus expends energy and experiences emotional draining on the Mount of Olives, in the Garden of Gethsemane, also called “The Agony in the Garden”. The emotional sufferings in the Garden were many, but especially two: a penetrating, almost paralyzing fear, and a mortal sadness. According to Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen, in the Garden, all of the sins of humanity from the beginning of time to the end of time, descended upon Jesus like a torrential downpour of rain. His mortal sadness came about because He knew those who would willingly reject His love and thereby lose their immortal souls for all eternity.
4. RELIGIOUS SUFFERING. Among those who condemned Jesus to such an ignominious death were the Religious leaders of the day—the scribes and Pharisees. These were Jews of the same religion that Jesus embraced with Mary and St. Joseph. “To His own He came, but they received Him not. (Jn 1:11) “There was no room for them in the Inn.” (Lk 2:7) When we receive rejection from our own, our own family, the pain is all the more acute.
5. SOCIAL/POLITICAL REJECTION. Jesus was rejected and condemned to death in the Political realm—under the local Government Authority at the time: Pontius Pilate. In a word, when we undergo rejection, in any shape or form, this is an acute form of suffering. Jesus said to Pilate that He indeed was a King, but His Kingdom was not of this world.
6. ABANDONED BY HIS FRIENDS. When we undergo physical suffering, social marginalization, spiritual darkness, moral weakness, these are moments that first and foremost we should turn to God. However, in these critical times, we also really need a little help from our friends. So it was with Jesus in His Agony in the Garden. His three best friends abandoned Him when He most needed their presence and friendship. Blunt and to the point, they fell asleep on Him and more than once! This must have been an intense form of suffering for Jesus. Indeed, He is the Friend who will never fail us, but we fail Him often. That is the essence of sin!
7. MORAL SUFFERING. Jesus was like us in all things save sin. However, the Apostle to the Gentiles, Saint Paul points out that Jesus, so to speak, became sin, so as to liberate us from sin. The Jewish scape-goat was loaded with the sins of the people and then led out to the desert to be slaughtered. Jesus became the new Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. All of the sins fell upon Jesus in the Garden of Olive, as well as when He hung upon the cross. He suffered for our sins so as to save us from a sinful death and eternal condemnation.
8. CHRONOLOGICAL SUFFERINGS. As mentioned earlier in reference to Jesus in the Garden and Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, all of the sins of humanity rained down upon the Sacred Body of Jesus causing Him to sweat Big Drops of Blood. By chronological is meant “in time”—from the beginning of time, now, and until the end of all the ages, Jesus suffers in justice and reparation for all of the sins of humanity. We should strive to be close to Jesus like the Angel of consolation, close to the Heart of Jesus in His sufferings.
9. PERSONAL, INTIMATE, AND PROFOUND SUFFERINGS: FOR YOU & ME! So that the sufferings of Jesus really leave a huge impact on our lives in a deep and personal way, we must make the connection that all of His sufferings are related to all of the sins of humanity, but also all my sins!!! Now, if you were the only person on the face of the earth that ever lived, Jesus would have undergone every detail of His Passion, suffering and death on the cross for love of you! Moreover, He would have undergone all of His sufferings for you, and for me too, countless times! Saint Faustina points out this important fact. How do we know that somebody really loves us? It is when that person is willing to suffer for us! Jesus suffered for love of you and me!
10. THEOLOGICAL SUFFERING. (Related to God the Father Himself!) One of the most mysterious and enigmatic Gospel passages is when Jesus, hanging from the cross shortly to give up His spirit into the hands of the Father, cries out: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mt 26:46) Jesus actually experienced the painful and heart-rending reality of actually feeling as if His Heavenly Father had abandoned Him. The great Mystical Doctor of the Church, Saint John of the Cross, penned the spiritual Masterpiece “The Dark Night of the soul”. In this state, the individual feels as if he were abandoned by God Himself. Jesus experienced this much more acutely. Sheen expresses it as such: there seemed to be an eclipse between the Humanity of Christ and the Face of God the Father.
To conclude, friends in the Passion and sufferings of Jesus, let us step back and examine our lives on the following, by means of these simple questions that we can bring to our personal prayer time:
1) SUFFERING… How do I view suffering in my life?
2) MY ATTITUDE/POSTURE… Does my suffering make me better or bitter?
3) FORMS OF SUFFERING… Am I aware that there are various forms of suffering that go beyond the mere physical?
4) ESCAPE… Do I run away from my cross and sufferings?
5. UNION… Or do I unite my sufferings with the sufferings of Jesus?
6. CROSSES… Do I carry my cross with Jesus or try to drag it along by myself?
7) SUFFERING AND HOLY MASS… Do I place my sufferings on the altar with the paten and chalice in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass? Am I aware of the infinite salvific value my sufferings have when united to the Cross and Resurrection of Jesus in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass?
Finally, lift up your gaze to Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows, and beg that through her most powerful intercession you will accept your crosses and sufferings and unite them with her Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart. If this is done, your sufferings will be instrumental in the salvation of countless souls for all eternity!
