Spiritual Reading | Pain and suffering

The plan of the Father for the salvation of the world is centered on the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. The passion and death of Jesus were part of the plan of God for the salvation of the world. God will not take away pain and suffering. This is the truth shown to us in the sufferings of Jesus on the cross. He is known as the Man of Sorrows. And anybody close to Him also shares in His sorrow. This is because love and suffering always go together. Love is self-giving. Self-giving always entails sacrifice and suffering.

Bishop Fulton Sheen said: "Love needs a constant purification and this happens only through sorrow. Love that is not nourished on sacrifice becomes trite, banal, and commonplace. It takes the other for granted, makes no more professions of love because it has sounded no new depths."

Suffering and pain are opportunities for us to develop our virtues, especially patience and self-sacrifice. They also help us strengthen our self-control and discipline. A Christian who is not tested is weak. Just as gold is subjected to fire to purify it, so also a Christian has to undergo trials and sufferings to purify his intentions and make him strong. And they also help us appreciate the blessings that come our way.

We often think like Peter. What we think is best for us. We insist on our plans, when we pursue our own will, apart from the will of God, we find ourselves fighting against God. We may have the best intentions, like Peter. But no matter how good our intentions are, if we don't follow God's plan, we will become His enemy.

In our Christian life, therefore, it is always important to know the will of God and follow it, to avoid the dangerous traps ahead and walk the way to salvation. God always knows what is best for us.

To know the will of God, two things are necessary: study and prayer. Studying is very important. Culpable ignorance is a sin against faith. We have to study the doctrines of our faith, read and reflect on the Scriptures, listen to and read various teachings of the saints and official Church teachers, and be fully attuned to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. This is an essential part of the formation of a right and healthy conscience. We have to know the truth and the will of God.

Prayer is more important. There are many things we cannot learn in study. It is, ultimately, the Holy Spirit who will give us the truth. This is very clear in the case of the apostles. They have listened to all the teachings of Jesus, but they still could not understand. It was only after Pentecost that they fully understood everything. In the case of Peter, in last Sunday's Gospel, his answer was not a fruit of study but came from the heavenly Father. That is why we see Jesus oftentimes praying alone, and conversing with the Father, so that everything He does will be according to the will of God. When we pray and study, we will eventually be accustomed to knowing the will of God in our lives.

Knowing God's will is only half of the story. Ultimately what matters is doing the will of God. Knowing the will of God is indeed important so that we won't be misled and do things contrary to His will. However, following Jesus is not that simple and easy. He says: "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me." Self-denial is important to be able to follow the only one commandment: love. Carrying the cross is also important so that our intentions are purified, our love becomes deeper and purer, and we can follow Jesus. Without the cross, there is no way we can follow Jesus. Jesus always has the cross. A Jesus without the cross is no Jesus at all.

We need not be afraid of suffering and pain; these are all part of the cross we have to bear to follow Jesus and to do the will of the heavenly Father. Rather, we should fear going through our earthly journey without Jesus.