Suffering a gift?

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Eetwidomayloh

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I’m a recently confirmed Catholic, and I have lately been reading the writings of Blessed Mother Teresa. While reading, I have kind of thought about the nature of suffering, and I’m going to propose a series of logical statements, although I have no idea of their validity. So I’m going to type these statements, and can someone please either point out my errors or show me how I am unorthodox, if I am? I want to be in obedience to the Church, so please help.
  1. Suffering refines us like and shapes us, hopefully into better people.
  2. Jesus suffered much in life and and suffered incredibly in His death.
  3. To be like Christ, we take up our cross and follow Him.
  4. Therefore, when God allows suffering in our lives, it is actually a gift for us, that we may be more fully shaped into the image and reflection of Christ’s love.
Now, here are a few questions that I have that might sound unorthodox:
  1. Does Christ’s death on the cross redem our suffering, as well as our sin?
  2. Does it make suffering something to be desired, though obviously not something to be pursued?
  3. God is obviously NOT the author of sin, nor does He tempt us. But does he (like Job) give us suffering in order to shape and test us? I’m trying to make a distinction between his PERMITTING suffering in our lives, and PLACING suffering in our lives.
4.If suffering can be defined as a “good” and not a “bad,” then would God’s granting us suffering be necessarily be against His nature?

It was at this point that I decided to get other opinions on this before going further. Is my line of thinking heterodox? This idea holds some appeal to me, but I don’t want to unknowingly fall into heterodoxy.
 
Eetwidomayloh said:
I’m a recently confirmed Catholic, and I have lately been reading the writings of Blessed Mother Teresa. While reading, I have kind of thought about the nature of suffering, and I’m going to propose a series of logical statements, although I have no idea of their validity. So I’m going to type these statements, and can someone please either point out my errors or show me how I am unorthodox, if I am? I want to be in obedience to the Church, so please help.
  1. Suffering refines us like and shapes us, hopefully into better people.
  2. Jesus suffered much in life and and suffered incredibly in His death.
  3. To be like Christ, we take up our cross and follow Him.
  4. Therefore, when God allows suffering in our lives, it is actually a gift for us, that we may be more fully shaped into the image and reflection of Christ’s love.
Now, here are a few questions that I have that might sound unorthodox:
  1. Does Christ’s death on the cross redem our suffering, as well as our sin?
    No. And it is not our sin that is redeemed, but our souls.
  2. Does it make suffering something to be desired, though obviously not something to be pursued?
    It makes something to be accepted. It is a gift, since it makes us more like the Father’s Son, Jesus.
  3. God is obviously NOT the author of sin, nor does He tempt us. But does he (like Job) give us suffering in order to shape and test us? I’m trying to make a distinction between his PERMITTING suffering in our lives, and PLACING suffering in our lives.
    It can be both. Usually, He allows us to suffer. Always, though, it is to bring about a greater good.
4.If suffering can be defined as a “good” and not a “bad,” then would God’s granting us suffering be necessarily be against His nature?
I’m not sure what you’re asking here. Maybe check your grammar? 🙂 God can only do good, so when He allows us to suffer or sends us suffering, it is always to bring about a greater good.

It was at this point that I decided to get other opinions on this before going further. Is my line of thinking heterodox? This idea holds some appeal to me, but I don’t want to unknowingly fall into heterodoxy.

Jesus calls all of us to “take up our cross daily” and follow Him. The essence of the demonic, the diabolic, is denial of the cross in our lives. Rejection of the cross. This is why Jesus called Peter “satan” after Peter tried to deny Christ His cross. On our liturgical calendar, Good Friday always proceeds Easter Sunday. And so it should be with us in our lives. We must suffer in order to be glorified with Him in heaven. If you don’t have suffering in your life, pray to Jesus and ask Him to send you some.
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Is suffering a gift? That depends. Is the suffering unavoidable? If, for example, someone is suffering as a result of a disease that can be cured or treated, then it should be cured or treated. We are not to allow suffering to take place on the grounds that it is God’s Will. You said that you have been reading about Blessed Mother Teresa. She worked to relieve suffering whenever possible, feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, giving morphine to those in terrible pain.

I have a disease that gives me terrible pain. Do I think that God gave me the disease? No. I do believe that God is with me in my suffering and that, when it is unavoidable, that God can bring something good out of it. I don’t think that God wants me to suffer if I don’t have to. I don’t see any value in my doing without pain relief, for example. God is not a torturer, enjoying seeing us writhe in agony, weep with emotional pain or crushed by our sufferings. Christ tells us to take up our cross, our cross is the burden of ourselves and our lives. Our Lord embraced His cross but we must never forget that He also prayed that it would pass from Him, if it were possible. He embraced His unavoidable suffering, but went about relieving suffering whenever he found it. Not all suffering is “good” and sent by God. Where something can be done about it, it is our Christian duty to do so. We can’t avoid helping others on the grounds that suffering is a good thing.
 
God is by definition good (at least the God I chose to believe in). Therefore suffering is a contrary to God’s plan. It is a metaphysical product of the sin of this world, or ‘existence’. We are “exiled, banished childern of Eve, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.” Suffering is the universal condition of all people, all their lives: “Heavy is the burden placed on all the Sons of Adam from the day the come out of their mother’s womb, until the day they return to the mother of us all.” (Sirach)

But eventually, we will return home, after this our earthly exile, and our sufferings will be ended. Maybe suffering helps us to see the vanity and emptiness of this world, to “hate our lives in this world” (John) But this doesn’t make it good. Oh, no.

In fact, even by definition, suffering is not good. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be called suffering.
 
Qoeleth said:
God is by definition good (at least the God I chose to believe in). Therefore suffering is a contrary to God’s plan. It is a metaphysical product of the sin of this world, or ‘existence’. We are “exiled, banished childern of Eve, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.” Suffering is the universal condition of all people, all their lives: “Heavy is the burden placed on all the Sons of Adam from the day the come out of their mother’s womb, until the day they return to the mother of us all.” (Sirach)

But eventually, we will return home, after this our earthly exile, and our sufferings will be ended. Maybe suffering helps us to see the vanity and emptiness of this world, to “hate our lives in this world” (John) But this doesn’t make it good. Oh, no.

In fact, even by definition, suffering is not good. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be called suffering.
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I wouldn’t go that far.

**It is through the suffering of the Lamb of God that we are redeemed. That’s why we call it “Good Friday”. Suffering in and of itself may not be a good thing but as a means to an end - yes, it can indeed be a gift. It is through suffering that we join together our suffering with the sufferings of Christ which draws us closer to him.

**When you say that suffering is contrary to God’s plan, you are rejecting the Word of God. ****The following verses explain the neccessity iof suffering with christ: ****2 Corinthians 4:7-12, Matt. 10:38, 16:24, Mark 8:34, John 12:24, Rom. 8:17, 2 Cor. 1:5-7, Eph. 3:13, Phil. 1:29, 2 Tim. 1:8, 1 Peter 2:19-21, 4:1-2.
Jesus tells us that we must pick up our cross daily to follow him (Matt. 16:24, Luke 9:23).
No - the Scriptures - when read in context - do not tell us that we will have it easy. On the contrary, the Gospel message is one of suffering before we reach heaven - and that suffering can indeed be beneficial.
 
elvisman said:
I wouldn’t go that far.

It is through the suffering of the Lamb of God that we are redeemed. That’s why we call it "Good Friday". Suffering in and of itself may not be a good thing but as a means to an end - yes, it can indeed** be a gift. It is through suffering that we join together our suffering with the sufferings of Christ which draws us closer to him.

When you say that suffering is contrary to God’s plan, you are rejecting the Word of God. **The following verses explain the neccessity iof suffering with christ: ****2 Corinthians 4:7-12, Matt. 10:38, 16:24, Mark 8:34, John 12:24, Rom. 8:17, 2 Cor. 1:5-7, Eph. 3:13, Phil. 1:29, 2 Tim. 1:8, 1 Peter 2:19-21, 4:1-2.
Jesus tells us that we must pick up our cross daily to follow him (Matt. 16:24, Luke 9:23**).**
No - the Scriptures - when read in context - do not tell us that we will have it easy. On the contrary, the Gospel message is one of suffering before we reach heaven - and that suffering can indeed be beneficial.
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Hi Evlisman,

I agree with you totally. Suffering may be beneficial in affecting redemption. But it is not “good.” If it were an actual good, it would make sense to promote suffering by inflicting pain on ourselves and others.
 
Qoeleth said:
Hi Evlisman,

I agree with you totally. Suffering may be beneficial in affecting redemption. But it is not “good.” If it were an actual good, it would make sense to promote suffering by inflicting pain on ourselves and others.
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**I understand what you’re saying - nobody actually enjoys pain unless they are a masochist and we do not strive to be masochists. Actually inflicting pain on oneself or somebody else is not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about suffering, whether it be from illness or catastrophe to persecution or denying oneself for the edification of the Body of Christ. **When it comes to suffering - I am the biggest coward of them all but I have seen firsthand the benefits of suffering with Christ.

**When we deny ourselves through fasting or some other spiritual discipline, it is not only good for ourselves and our own spiritual life but for the Body of Christ. St. Paul calls these disciplines of the flesh, “mortification” because by this denial of the body, we die to the flesh so as to live in the spirit:
“If you live after the flesh, you shall die, but if through the spirit you mortify the deeds of the flesh, you shall live.” (Rom. 8:13; see also Col. 3:5, and Gal. 5:24). **
Mortification is a good discipline for our souls as well as a means of strengthening our resistance to temptation.
St. Paul not only recommended mortification, he practiced it himself. In 1 Cor. 9:27, he tells us, “I drive my body and train it, for fear that after having preached to others, I myself should be disqualified”.

**When we suffer for the sake of Christ through persecution, we should rejoice because of the promises of Christ for those who are persecuted:
Rom. 8:16–17
"…we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him”.

Acts 5:41–42
The Apostles “rejoiced that they were considered worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of … the Messiah”.

1 Pet. 4:13-14,16, 19
**"But rejoice to the extent that you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that when his glory is revealed you may also rejoice exultantly. **
**If you are insulted for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. **
But whoever is made to suffer as a Christian should not be ashamed but glorify God because of the name.
As a result, those who suffer in accord with God’s will hand their souls over to a faithful creator as they do good."

To think of suffering as merely a bad thing is to not understand its true purpose.

As I stated before, suffering in and of itself does nothing but cause misery. However, there is a sprituality to true suffering with Christ that not only benefits ourselves but the entire Body.
 
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