Question 39 – Does suffering make sense? 

Continuing with the exploration and reflection through a series of articles written in a conversational language about Catholicism, about God, about Jesus, about the Church and many other faith related topics. Here we present:

Question 39 – Does suffering make sense? 

Christians believe that there is nothing good about suffering in itself. God* doesn’t want it. Suffering makes no sense. Therefore it is not good to consciously seek it out. Suffering must be fought.

No one escapes suffering, not even Jesus*. In his life he suffered much. Christians are inspired by his example to endure the suffering in their lives as well as they can. What can you learn from this in concrete terms?

Jesus does not comply with suffering. He doesn’t suggest refined theories about it either. He fights it, with word and deed. Jesus gives bread to the hungry and defends those who are threatened with death. When he is powerless in the face of the suffering of friends who mourn for a dead man, he tries to share that suffering. Compassion relieves pain.

The most intense experience of Jesus’ suffering is his death on the cross. He did not want to die of torture. Jesus could have escaped that extreme suffering. He deliberately didn’t do that. By this choice, Jesus did not justify the suffering. His death on the cross is the place where Jesus finally and completely showed that love is stronger than anything, even stronger than death.

In turn, Christians are invited to take up their cross. To love, like Jesus, only to love over and over again, even when it hurts. Some Christians go very far into following this example of Jesus. They accept the risk of being robbed of their lives because of their faith in God’s love. They are called martyrs*.

– Can you learn something from the way Jesus dealt with suffering?
– Taking up your own cross, does that mean anything to you?

Watch this space! Coming up:   Question 40 – Does the devil exist? 

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If you wish to learn more about this resource follow this link  “52 Questions and Answers about faith

 

About the author:

Nikolaas Sintobin, SJ, joined the Society of Jesus in 1989, following a short career as a lawyer. He was trained as a Jesuit in Brussels, Paris, and Santiago de Chile. Today he is a spiritual director who is keenly interested in online ministry and discovering new ways to help people find God.

This text is republished with the permission of Messenger Publications, Ireland. To buy a hard copy of the book click here.