Can you suggest a Catholic book about suffering?

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Madeline616

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Hi,

Can anyone recommend any books on how to grow spiritually from/deal with/unite with Christ in the midst of trials and suffering, particularly physical suffering?

I’m aware of Father Benedict Groeschel’s wonderful books on the subject, and was hoping to learn of some more by other Catholic authors (Saints, priests and religious, or laity).

Thanks 🙂
 
Some related ones that are very good (and he is recommended by the Fr. Groeschel) frjacquesphilippe.com/testimonials/testimonials.html

scepterpublishers.org/product/index.php?FULL=614

scepterpublishers.org/product/index.php?FULL=553

The worst pain of suffering lies in rejecting it.
— Interior Freedom, p. 46

What really hurts is not so much suffering itself as the fear of suffering. If welcomed trustingly and peacefully, suffering makes us grow. It matures and trains us, purifies us, teaches us to love unselfishly, makes us poor in heart, humble, gentle, and compassionate toward our neighbor. Fear of suffering, on the other hand, hardens us in self-protective, defensive attitudes, and often leads us to make irrational choices with disastrous consequences.
— Interior Freedom, p. 47

[Spiritual trials] are beneficial, because they lead us to locate our identity where it truly belongs. The experience can be highly painful when someone who loves God goes through a phase without an atom of fervor and even with a profound distaste for spiritual things. People do not lose their love for God, for their whole being remains completely oriented toward God; but they lose the feeling of love. The benefit of this trial that it deprives us of any possibility of relying on the good we can do. God’s mercy is all.
— Interior Freedom, p.126

frjacquesphilippe.com/themes/themes.html

Peter Kreeft also has one published by I think Ignatius and I know Scepter has another one too. But I highly recommend Fr. Philippe
 
Thank you all so much! Bookcat, thanks for taking the time to post those very helpful quotations.👍

More suggestions appreciated…
 
Madeline616 said:
Thank you all so much! Bookcat, thanks for taking the time to post those very helpful quotations.👍

.
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Your welcome…they are there on the publishers website…alone with other themes in his books…they are all from the one book I recommended…it is a real gem (not just on suffering…but dealing with suffering is part of “interior freedom”)
 
Jim_Dandy said:
Please consider John Paul II’s wonderful Salvifici Doloris. It’s essentially a Bible study on suffering.

vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_11021984_salvifici-doloris_en.html
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I highly recommend John Paul II’s “Salvifici Doloris”. Read it at least 3 times 😉

Although the central theme is Divine Mercy, other book that helped me understanding the relation among Suffering, Justice, Sin, Mercy… is the Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska: Divine Mercy in My Soul. But it is not only about suffering.
 
paulonei said:
I highly recommend John Paul II’s “Salvifici Doloris”. Read it at least 3 times 😉

Although the central theme is Divine Mercy, other book that helped me understanding the relation among Suffering, Justice, Sin, Mercy… is the Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska: Divine Mercy in My Soul. But it is not only about suffering.
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I also concur that Salvifici Doloris is wonderful. I wrote a paper on it and compared it to St Therese’s autobiography “Story of a Soul” which is also a good book to read that speak a lot about suffering.
 
 
One I thought was very good is Amazing Grace for Those Who Suffer: 10 life-changing stories of hope and healing by Jeff Cavins & Matthew Pinto. It’s very readable and I learned a lot from these people’s experiences.
 
Thank you all so much 👍👍

Emerald Wings, thanks for all those great links 🙂
 
Madeline616 said:
Hi,

Can anyone recommend any books on how to grow spiritually from/deal with/unite with Christ in the midst of trials and suffering, particularly physical suffering?

I’m aware of Father Benedict Groeschel’s wonderful books on the subject, and was hoping to learn of some more by other Catholic authors (Saints, priests and religious, or laity).

Thanks 🙂
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there’s a book that I like that mentions this topic. it’s called “Imitation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” 🙂 there are several chapters about suffering and how to approach that. It’s all written as if from Jesus’ perspective. (it’s from TAN publishers and written by a Jesuit priest I believe).
 
You can read about The Life of St. Lydwine of Schiedam written by Thomas a Kempis (the one who wrote the Imitation of Christ, this book was the favorite of St. Therese of Lisieux).

saintsworks.net/books/Thomas%20a%20Kempis%20-%20St.%20Lydwine%20of%20Schiedam.pdf

St Lydwine was bedridden all her life, from a very young age because of skiing accident. And many come to her to ask her prayer and were healed, but she herself was never healed.

The Story of a Soul - St. Therese of Lisieux:
basilica.org/pages/ebooks/St.%20Therese%20of%20Lisieux-Autobiography.pdf

Counsel and Letters - St. Therese of Lisieux:
basilica.org/pages/ebooks/St.%20Therese%20of%20Lisieux-Counsels%20and%20Reminiscences.pdf

basilica.org/pages/ebooks/St.%20Therese%20of%20Lisieux-Letters.pdf

St. Therese of Lisieux had tuberculosis, and at her death she suffered very much.

The Diary of St. Faustina Kowalska - Divine Mercy in my Soul
saintsworks.net/books/St.%20Faustina%20Kowalska%20-%20Diary.pdf

She suffers form the unfriendliness and misjudgement from her fellow sisters, and she endures sickness too. But she bore it all for the love of Jesus and salvation of souls.

Life by St. Teresa of Avila
basilica.org/pages/ebooks/St.%20Teresa%20of%20Avila-The%20Life%20of%20Saint%20Teresa%20of%20Avila.pdf

She was sick and paralyzed when she was young (about 20), and was cured through the intercession of St. Joseph.

You know all of the saints suffer in one way or another, they become like Jesus. Jesus suffer too, on his passion and death on the cross, and during his life, where many people hate him without cause, calumniated him, slander him.

You should read the lives of the martyrs. They suffer … like St. Ceacilia, she was beheaded for love of Jesus.

The three Children of Fatima, one of them was blessed jacinta and when she was around 9-10 years she was threatened to be fried in oil because of the apparitions, the people thought she was lying. But worse, her mother thought so too. She died at a young age, 10 because of an epidemic, along with blessed francesco.

Here is the book, Fatima, in Lucia’s Own Words (Lucia was one of the three children):
pastorinhos.com/livros/en/MemoriasI_en.pdf

You should read the books written by the saints, and you will know that they too endure crosses and sufferings just like us, but they bore it all for love of Jesus and salvation of sinners.

Most of the saints books are available online, for free
saintsbookscatechisms.blogspot.com/

May the merciful Jesus bless you
 
Well i am sure not going to hell, my life has been a nice slice of everyday hell.
 
There are a number of very good books on suffering. But I like the Book of Job in the Old Testament best. St. Theresa of Avila had horrible suffering, but she said that it was the Book of Job which helped her then. I second what a preceding poster, Robert Sock, says.
 
One encyclical of Johannes Paul II, which is called Evangelium Vitae.
 
There’s a book called "Why Must I Suffer?l that the FSSP sells online. It’s a good short yet straight forward read.
 
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