Anne Lastman
At this moment in time when there is so much suffering in our world, we find on the lips of many thinking people the question why? And to this question perhaps the best answer remains what it has always been, and that suffering is a mystery. It cannot be anything other than a mystery. Were it other than a mystery it would surely be a mockery and make a mockery of an all-loving God.
Evil and suffering have been in existence since time immemorial. Indeed, evil and suffering have perplexed humankind and continues to do so. Further, it’s almost impossible to believe that a loving God would permit the at times horrendous suffering and evil, which has beset humankind. Yet He does. And in it’s in the permitting that it might be possible to learn something about suffering and acceptance of suffering which continues to taunt the human mind and in turn the human person continues to be repelled by it.
All suffering has an element of rejection inbuilt into it. Even the most stoic of saints, whilst embracing the purpose of suffering rebel at its nature and its effects because suffering is alien to the human design. It was not built into the human blueprint and appears as an interloper. It appears like something which appended itself to the human person and the human person in turn rebels against this alien which has attached itself and appears unmovable. Yet, it’s in the acceptance of suffering that a clarity and answer can be found and the will is strengthened and rebuilt towards God. The effect of suffering can be to rebuild an absent personal or societal virtue leading to a closer union with God, or it can lead to self-destruction and bitterness.
Religions have attempted to answer the “why suffering?” question, with each belief system positing a different response. An overview of the mainline religions shows some similarities yet interestingly monumental differences. Religion’s response is important because religion/faith touches the individual at the innermost core of being and suffering whether physical, emotional, spiritual also touches the human at the innermost being. Faith and reason employed together can give an answer approximating something which is possible to understand and live with.
Because suffering is such a broad subject a focus would be in order. Of course, there is salvific suffering which can take many forms including actual physical suffering, emotional suffering, spiritual suffering with each having a specific focus of pain yet manifesting within the body and mind and spirit and indeed requiring the body in order to be able to manifest itself.
Perhaps an important point about the different kinds of suffering and understanding of these kinds of suffering is the sufferers themselves and how they endure the suffering. The point about salvific or “heroic suffering” is that the individual endures and subsists with all his/her suffering within the love of Christ. The soul of this sufferer is lifted towards Christ Jesus and unites this suffering with the sufferings of the incarnate Word of God. In being able to unite and share the suffering these individuals who are able to suffer with heroism, display a particular grace and bring before the eyes of the world a vision of how Jesus Himself suffered. It’s of particular interest that the heroic sufferers are usually silent microcosm of humanity and in particular appear to call upon themselves sufferings related to the sins of the era and the sins of the members of the body, the church.
It must be said that not all suffering is seen as “heroic” or “salvific” and indeed those called to this particular suffering may not be receptive to the suffering and indeed become embittered and may lose faith and reject Christ in all totality. However, for those who do accept the suffering and accept it as something, which their Divine Lord has decreed as necessary, then their vision and understanding of suffering is slowly and radically changed. Indeed, this so much so that even in the visible they slowly begin to reflect the One whom they imitate, Jesus. The Crucified one and the “salvific” sufferer merge and indeed it’s possible as Paul says, “I make up in my body what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ for the sake of His body, the church.” (Col.1: 24)
To observe the salvific sufferer, it’s easy to come full of pity and fail to see the value of that individual’s gift of the suffering self. Yet to ask them their own feeling about their suffering their response is usually “it’s a privilege.” For the observer it appears a trial. For the sufferer a privilege. It’s in the manner and perception and attached meaning of the suffering which invests “suffering” with value.
Whilst the modern mind would see the “offering” up of suffering as simplistic, even religiosity, it’s in fact a co-operation with Christ and His suffering and recognises that suffering offered in union with His own can be of infinite value. It’s indeed as co-operators with Christ that we can truly say that we can understand suffering. Without understanding suffering and simply enduring because there is no way out of the situation is to waste the opportunity given to work with Jesus for the redemption of someone. It’s not a directive or challenge to suffer but it’s a request for a “fiat.”
Unwilling suffering cannot redeem because like Jesus (Mt 26:36-46) and Mary (Lk 1:26-38) a personal “fiat” must be given and in this assent the nature of the suffering changes from one which is thought and believed to be brought about by human weakness, sickness, failure, error and which has the power to destroy, to one whose value becomes infinite because it’s embraced so that a new power can be invested into it.
Suffering is either redemptive or destructive it can never be neutral and it’s how it is viewed and accepted that makes the difference. Suffering is a mystery and because this is so it permits a small glimpse into the life and love of God. It can show in microcosm the life and love of the Trinitarian community of God. From all time He loved, knowing that He would suffer and, in the suffering, He loved all the more. Suffering calls for personal immersion into the mystery which has no answer. Unless this is seen as the case, the mystery of suffering can only be viewed as a scandal to an otherwise merciful God and a scandal to an otherwise ordered and beautiful universe.
The value of salvific suffering is multifaceted. However, it’s slanted towards the theological and anthropological. At the anthropological level suffering is the mystery which the human person has introduced into his own being. It’s outside of God and His creation. It was not in the created order of God. Indeed, He declared that all was “very good” (Gn 1:1-31) there was to be found no “not good.” Yet this is the mystery which God, through Jesus, had to experience in order to be able to become immersed again in his creation. Until suffering and evil entered into the creation through the human beings’ rejection of the creator’s commands, the creator was not absent or distant from His creature. (Gn 3:8)) However, following the rejection there was something new ontologically which separated the creator from the creation so in order not to be distant and in order for full communion with His creature to resume and continue, He, the creator (through Jesus his son) determined the re-establishment of the relationship by participating in the now existent suffering and death.
God, in His suffering over the failure of His creature did not abandon the human but decided for them in so far as He decided to accept (Gn 3:15), without destruction of His own creation, the new reality which had been introduced, that is suffering. Truly Anthropos’s only boast is the new thing called “suffering.” This is the only achievement of his and in offering it to God, He, God, accepted the offer and provided the conditions for His own experience of the effects of “suffering” and death like the creature. In so far as He became “like” the creature yet remained God He was able to experience fully suffering and death and be able to defeat it. This ensured that suffering and death would never be the barrier to full communion between the creature and the creator. The marks of suffering could enter into the heavenly realm (Jn 20:24-28) however, suffering itself would never be permitted to pierce the heart of God by entering into His own personal domain.
Salvific suffering is a mystery because there is in this suffering an exchange involved. In this exchange is to be found the meaning of both love and suffering. There is a crossover in this exchange and at the point of the crossover is to be found the answer to suffering and to love. In the Salvific suffering, willingly accepted, the sufferer becomes gift both to God and humanity. He suffers for love of another and God, and because of this gift, is able to bring attention to the own work of making up the lack in the sufferings of Christ for the sake of the body, the Church(1Col:24).
Suffering is an extraordinary gift because it’s a love in lieu of loss. A separation.
Sufferers of profound pain always refrain from comment. They will not speak platitudes they will not utter inanities because they know the depth and possibilities of suffering and of pain. In the presence of a great suffering a respectful silence is maintained with this being the best response. Indeed, there is a solemn De Profundis deep within the inner being. It’s a place so holy as to demand profound silence, awe. Suffering is sacred because it confers upon those whom it touches an intimate resemblance to the Son whose suffering saved the world. In this place of suffering, holiness and silence there is to be found the echo of a distant destruction and a further echo of a response to that destruction. Salvation through the ministry of God Himself. And a ministry of suffering and mediation which in its genesis has inscribed within it the reversal of that original destruction. Indeed, the violence of that primordial destructive act is reversed and turned into a pilgrimage towards The Father. The salvific victim soul acts as mediator and as an offering of self for the sins of individuals and society.
In the milieu of disorder those who suffer and those especially who appear accursed bring about a blessing. Those who can endure suffering can mediate to and for the rest of society a sense of compassion. Indeed, every time a sufferer forgives and loves again and again, he or she acts in the role of sacramental bearer and a member of that salvific servant. In the role of mediator, the sufferer is a living witness of the suffering and pain within the community whose eyes are turned towards the world. The mediator sufferer is called to be a scandal within the community for he/she causes to pause those who would pass without stopping. The participator of inner victim can be privy to moments of divine joy and pure ecstasy. Indeed, within the inner altar of the human person’s heart is the capacity to experience moments of divine clarity leading to a profound understanding of the love of the Creator for his creation.
Suffering can also be destructive. It’s not the level of suffering which either builds and strengthens or destroys; it’s rather the person experiencing the suffering. The will and disposition of the sufferer. A will rebellious against suffering will revolt and will not seek the spark of light hidden within the darkness. However, a will disposed and understanding of suffering as part of the human order will view suffering as another part of the mystery which is the human being.
Those who accept and or speak about suffering have dared to give a voice to those whose own voices have been silenced, mocked, trafficked, murdered, aborted, terrorized.
Humanized suffering is a suffering which acts as the conduit by which an individual or a group and society are led to a state of further refinement. An example of this would be the seemingly futile and senseless slow and painful death of a young mother of five children. Driven by a life filled with children and love she accepted first the suffering (slow and painful cancer), and then death in a manner which changed those who crossed her path. Those who encountered her on her journey became for her, Simon of Cyrene (Mt 27:32). They accepted her suffering and the manner of her own acceptance, carried her cross for her briefly and then returned the cross for her to continue her journey towards the final destination her heavenly spouse. This suffering was her cross to carry and only she was able to carry it towards its ultimate encounter with her God.
In this exchange the transformation was both ways and assured. Yet, towards the end, salvific suffering is solely as gift for the Lord. In the end it’s for Him, and with Him, that suffering finds an insistent echo. In this manner is achieved a physical, spiritual interpretation of the imitation of Christ. These sufferers are a living witness of their separation from sin. Their love, and the spirit of this love, divinized and refined the sufferer in a spirit of sacrifice. Earthly suffering when accepted in love, is like a bitter kernel but containing within it the seed of new and glorious eternal life, the treasure lost at the beginning and the glory regained through Jesus and awaiting the human in eternity.
The theme of suffering cannot validly be approached in any other way than through the cross of Jesus Christ, that is, through His own suffering and death. To enter into this mystery via any other means would be to attempt to empty the meaning of suffering and death. To empty the cross of its corpus.
