Suffering

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I was thinking :o …

God allows suffering to bring about a better good within us. However, in the past, I have always thought of suffering in the physical sense. I’ve been trying to work this out in my mind and thought that perhaps some of you can shed some light on the scope of suffering.

We all know what physical suffering is - disease, accident, wrongful actions - but what about inherent or developed emotional and mental suffering?

Those who are disposed to anger, for example. Or perhaps those who are lonely or who live a life of excessive pride or vanity or laziness. Is it when one gives in to these “diseases” of one’s unphysical makeup, that it becomes a sin? Are these emotional and mental states sufferings to be held as one’s cross? Or are these mental and emotional diseases only the result of wrongful choices on one’s part.

Or as in physical experiences, do all sufferings come from outside one - something that is done to the physical being of one.

Since God made us as not only physical, but also have an intellect and emotional makeup, cannot sufferings also be something other than physical?

Sometimes others can inflict mental and emotional sufferings on one - and I can understand that. I suppose what I’m asking is - can we be born with handicaps (mental and emotional) or be disposed to various states of mental or emotional diseases, that when coping with them or offering them up to God, can lead one to holiness?

An example would be shyness. If someone was always a shy person to the point of causing them emotional pain, is this not also a suffering? But by accepting their natural inborn tendency to be shy by acknowledging and accepting that they were so created by God and offering this part of their makeup to God, that this would be the way to handle such a “disease” or cross.

Does this make sense to anyone?
 
More examples - perfectly healthy but having uncontrolable excessive behavior, or less of a mental ability or mental retardation, or emotionally imbalanced. Or having an emotional fixation on immoral situations, or being overly scrupulous to one’s actions, or living in a reactive state of emotional situations. All these not controllable (except possibly through medication as with physical handicaps) and part of one’s natural makeup.

Are these also sufferings?

Anyone have any thoughts? Somebody?
 
All suffering is suffering no matter the source. And having mental illnesses or character flaws one struggles with are just as much suffering as a broken arm.

God understands us completely and sees all that we suffer. But our sufferings don’t have to be empty or wasted. As you rightly pointed out, we carry them as our cross, which helps to alleviate the sufferings of Christ in the world–it gives consolation to his wounded Sacred Heart. So, it’s a very noble thing, really, to suffer for Christ no matter the source of our suffering.
 
If you have to struggle, against your own personal human nature, to be “perfect” in the eyes of God, then that is a source of suffering in your life.
We’re all unique and have unique aspects of our human nature. Original sin can take many forms in individuals… whether these original sins were “bad choices” we made or not… they are all souces of suffering…
Only Christ knows what each individual struggles with…
 
Pope John Paul II wrote an outstanding Encyclical on this subject and in it, all your questions are answered. It’s called **Salvifici Doloris: The Christian Meaning of Suffering **

catholicculture.org/docs/doc_view.cfm?recnum=3384

You might need to register with the site to read the article. Registration is free, easy and they don’t send you a bunch of spam or put your name on lists.

I really started understanding suffering better and more completely after reading that document. WOW!

God Bless!
 
Other examples would be the suffering inflicted by the deliberate or unintentional actions of others, even those who have no real contact with you. For instance the powers that be have a war going on in Iraq, the family suffers while their father and husband is gone. The mental suffering of accompanying a loved one who is facing physical suffering, like waiting with a child during her cancer therapy. Families of incarcerated criminals, especially children, who suffer the loss of their parents just as if they had died.

Or suffering that just derives from the situation, being geographically or economically separated from your family, or the very real suffering of the homosexual who is committed to chastity and struggles to form healthy relationships, while knowing marriage and family is probably beyond him.
 
Very good examples, Annie. It would appear that everyone suffers in one way or another and that all have something to offer the Lord.
 
Fr Stan Fortuna, the rapper priest, has one song that I really do like (although generally I can take or leave that style) Everybody Got 2 Suffer, it puts all this into words very well.
 
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