I am reminded of a story of a young monk who went to his abbot and confessed a sexual sin he had committed. The abbot had absolutely no experience in sexual temptation, and so condemned the boy and banished him from the monastery. The young monk left in tears, but happened across a monk who later became a saint. The saint asked the boy what had happened, the boy told him everything, and the saint told him, “Don’t lose heart - return to your monastery. I will pray.” The boy left, and the saint prayed that God might give the abbot a taste of what the boy experienced. The abbot, around that time, suddenly received a vision of a shadowy figure armed with a bow and arrow - the figure plucked his bow and fired an arrow, and upon being hit the abbot was struck with all sorts of temptations in his mind. Overcome, he ran to the saint (whom he knew) and told him what happened. The saint replied that the abbot now knew how his spiritual son felt, and the abbot returned to the monastery with a much more forgiving attitude.
The point of this story is somewhat related to Garyjohn2’s post about how suffering helps us grow. The Fathers often talked about how temptation and suffering molded us the way gold molds fire, and how it perfects us spiritually. I can certainly speak of some experience: there was a time for most of last year where I felt like God was perpetually kicking me in the groin, to put it bluntly.
I was laid off, my temporary job didn’t work out, I was forced to move back in with my parents across the country, my car got in a wreck and was totaled, and on and on and on. My faith really was tested during that time, and there were some moments I felt like God had really abandoned me. However, I feel I am much more spiritually mature, and now I really do understand suffering and what it can be like for less fortunate people.
Even scripture affirms that suffering has a purpose. The man possessed by Legion was exorcised by Christ and ended up preaching the goodness of God throughout his homeland. The blind man in John 9 is said by Christ to have been born blind to show the glory of God, and he does become a good example to believers of faith and gratitude. Lazarus’s death is said by Christ to be purposeful as well, for it will help others believe, and indeed it does help many believe, even now.
In reference to the question “does suffering have the same meaning,” I think in many ways we try nowadays to avoid the real meaning of suffering. We are very materialistic, and we don’t like the idea of sacrifice, and we expect God to give us what we want when we need it all the time. What’s more, we don’t expect anything bad to ever happen to us. I once got in a conversation with someone who argued with me about suffering and allowing such suffering to happen to you. When I brought up the apostles and early Christians, he retorted, “They just did that as an example,” as if their suffering and deaths carried no other meaning other than to be good role models. Yes, in many ways they were good role models…but what was St. Paul’s command to the Corinthians? “Imitate me.” Therefore we must expect the temptations and sufferings to come, especially if we draw closer to God, for in drawing close to that fire of God’s love we will be purged as gold and purified into the fine metal God sees us as. Instead of asking why, we should be like the apostles and all the great martyrs in history, and give thanks that God found us worthy to suffer.
I’m just trying out my new material.