Reflection on Pain, Suffering and Joy

 
During the celebration of the sacrament of Confirmation a Bishop in Ireland asked a young man a question about the Trinity. 

The young man responded, Bishop 3 in 1, and 1 in 3, the Bishop replied, “I don’t understand”, the young man responded, “You not supposed to, it’s a mystery!”

We do not understand why pain and suffering exist, however I want to share with you the best explanation I have found for why we suffer is a story about a Rabbi teaching his students about 400 years before Christ. 

He was teaching his students just outside their village. 

As they looked down on their village, they saw foreign troops invading the village.  They heard the screaming; he yelling & saw the fires.  Finally, the rabbi looked up to heaven and screamed, “If only I were God!”  One of his students asked him, “What would you do differently if you were God.”  The rabbi answered, “I would do nothing differently, but I would understand!”

We don’t understand why there is pain and suffering in the world, but Jesus taught us what to do with our pain and suffering. 

Offer your pain and suffering to God, the Father and ask Him to bless it and have good come from it.  We should not seek suffering, God does not want us to suffer, God allows it sometimes what we do with our suffering is a gift that only we can offer to God. 

When you suffer pray to Jesus our Lord and our and our Savior with this part of Psalm 18, “I love you, Lord, my strength, my rock, my fortress, my savior.  My God is the rock where I take refuge; my shield, my mighty help, my stronghold.”

Then pray not there go I but for the grace of God, instead pray there go I with the grace of God.

May God Be Praised!