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.