The “mystery" of suffering with joy

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MariaChristi

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Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Since last Sunday, hearing and pondering the Mass Readings, especially the First Reading from Isaiah 53: 10 - 11 on Jesus, the Suffering Servant I’ve continued to pray over this “mystery” of suffering, and in particular “suffering with Joy”.

Actually, even before Sunday, considering the increasing evil in the world I had been praying about the need for Reparation to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary. I began a few threads: “Fridays and Saturdays – any reparation offered?” ; “Jesus wants … to establish in the world Devotion to my Immaculate Heart”.

Sunday I began the thread: “Are we “Suffering Servants”? If not, why not?” and quoted words from Mother Teresa of Calcutta on Suffering. Her words have helped me a great deal and I think they also were helpful to some who read her words on that thread. I replied to one that I wanted t begin a thread on the “mystery” of suffering. I call suffering a “mystery”, because when God permits suffering in our lives, I don’t think many of us can receive it as Mother Teresa did as a “gift”. Nor do we often (it seems to me) receive suffering with true joy. – at least I can only think of a very few times in my own life when I may have had the grace to “see” my own suffering with joy.

If we truly could “see” with the eyes of Faith, as our Mother Mary on Calvary saw, and as Mother Teresa of Calcutta saw suffering, I believe we would be able to receive suffering as a gift, and deep down in our hearts God would bring forth in us that joy which is a fruit of His Holy Spirit. Yesterday I listened prayerfully to the Letter of James 1 beginning with:
Count it all joy…
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It was a long drive, and a long wait when we got to our destination, so I also read from “True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin” and discovered some of Mother Teresa’s words are very similar to the words of St. Louis de Montfort. When we read the words of the Scriptures and words from Saints, we can hear in their words the Wisdom God gives. Speaking of Suffering, Mother Teresa said:
…we need a pure heart to see the hand of God in our suffering, to feel the hand of God, to recognize the gift of God in our suffering.
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Jesus taught us in the Beatitudes:
Blessed are the clean of heart for they shall see God (Mt 5:8)
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I’m going to continue prayerfully, to ponder this mystery and invite anyone who is reading this thread to add to it, prayerfully pondring this mystery as well. Thanks.
 
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Many Saints have suffered with joy.

I also remember reading that blessed Solanus Casey thanked God for his extremely painful and debilitating skin condition.

The lives of the saints are inspirational.
 
Dear Lee,

Thanks so much for your reply. Have you met many people who truly receive suffering with joy? It seems to me, I have met a few, and I am grateful for their witness. I am painfully aware of my own shortcomings but by God’s Grace, I hope I am beginning to learn how to repent and believe more deeply in God’s Love, and in His “gift” of anything and everything He permits in my life. Small or great suffering - both need to be received lovingly and even joyfully because we believe He is always working Good. The Father knows how to give “good gifts to His children”

Perhaps in the past, I’ve been only “inspired” to a certain admiration rather than to seek the grace to be holy in my own life. We are ALL called to holiness and I believe the Venerable Fulton J. Sheen had it right in saying there is a lot of “wasted suffering in this world”!

Perhaps it is more a case of “not asking for the grace to suffer with Christ and for Christ”. The words of Mother Teresa have convinced me of the Truth of God’s Love and the Truth He revealed in Jesus, in a new way. Yes, God wants us to listen to his Messages coming to us often in the words and examples of the saints who herad Him with the ears of their hearts and did the Truth they heard, and His will is our sanctification!

Jesus, we Trust in You!
Mary, Mother of the Church pray for us.
St. Teresa of Calcutta, pray for us.
 
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Hello, Have you read Jean-Pierre de Caussade self Abandonment to Divine Providence ?
it is claimed that the soul has to abandon everything to find true Joy and if suffering comes that to would be a Joy!
We need God to do everything, we aren’t able to please him unless it’s a return of his Love.
What a lovely thought though to be thinking, God bless
 
I know a lot about suffering and it at times takes great time to find great joy. But, it’s always worth it in the end. It may be especially hard with those returning to the faith after worldly views, especially false doctrines about spirituality. Yet, prayer is powerful and can always be used for those far from help.
 
Dear sevenswords,

Thanks for your rely. Yes, I read Jean-Pierre de Caussade’s “Self Abandonment to Divine Providence”. It is a beautiful book and I’ve gone back to it from time to time, over the years, since I read it the first time. Certainly, Jesus in the Gospels tells us clearly, that we cannot be His disciples if we are not willing to deny ourselves, take up our crosses and follow Him.

There really needs to be an abandonment of the “self” which prefers itself over God. St. Augustine poses the choice in his classic work, “The City of God”, writing that those who are building the City of God love God to the contempt of self, while those who are building the city of man are those who love self to the contempt of God.

I agree wholeheartedly with you that we need God to do anything – as Jesus tells us in John 15: “Without Me you can do nothing”. We also hear in St. Paul that without Love we are nothing! What led me to ponder the concept of “Reparation” and ultimately to ponder “Suffering with Joy” is our need to pray for God’s Grace to live as Jesus and Mary and all the Saints give us example. We are all called to holiness.

There is also the need to pray for grace for all those in most need of God’s Mercy, as Mary our Mother told the children at Fatima. The Pope has encouraged us to pray the Rosary, and I hope many Catholics are doing so, but I wonder how many in fact are praying. Pope Francis also asked us to pray: “We fly to thy protection o Holy Mother of God, despise not our petitions in our necessities, but deliver us from all dangers, O Glorious and Blessed Virgin” and the Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel after praying the Rosary.

May God help us all to think of and pray to God for the grace to live as He created us to live in His Love. By His Grace may we truly hear and do His Will: “Be Holy as I am Holy”.
 
Dear CatholicSpirit,

Thanks for your reply. I believe there is not a human soul on earth who does not suffer in some way during life on earth. It is the result of sin – which entered the world originally through our first parents. Since that time we have all (except the Immaculately conceived Mary and her Son Jesus Who is God) inherited the consequences of sin and we suffer from our own sins as well as the sins of others.

The joy I am speaking of in this thread is a supernatural joy which is a fruit of the Holy Spirit and it is not exactly like the purely natural joy we might “feel” when something delights us. The joy which is a fruit of the Holy Spirit comes from God and not from ourselves. For example, our Blessed Mother in her Canticle sings:
"My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour. He looks on His servant in her lowliness , henceforth all ages will call me blessed. The Almighty works marvels for me. Holy is His Name… (emphasis is mine)
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Prayer is essential if we are seeking to grow closer to God and if we are desiring others to come to know Him! “Spiritual writers generally say that God’s action in a soul submissive to grace is prdinarily characterized by peace and tranquility…” (quote taken from Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange"s book on the “Three Ages of the Interior Life” p. 236)
 
Dear Dorothy,

Thanks for your reply and the link. St. Padre Pio is such a wonderful saint and one who certainly received tremendous graces from God to grow in holiness himself as well as to help so many others grow closer to God by the holiness of his example in the midst of great, great suffering.

Prayer is for all of us as St. Padre Pio said, our best “weapon”. The Church is in spiritual battle today, against forces of evil at work inside and outside the Church. In my reply to CatholicSpirit, I just quoted part of a sentence from Vol. 2 of Father Garrigou-Lagrange’s book, “The Three Ages of the Interior Life”, chapter 22 - “Docility to the Holy Spirit”. Let me quote the whole sentence here, since it seems so appropriate in speaking of our battle against evil:
…Spiritual writers generally say that God’s action in a soul submissive to grace is ordinarily characterized by peace and tranquility; the devil’s action is violent and accompanied by disturbance and anxiety…(p. 236)
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It is so important to pray for the light of the Holy Spirit to recognize what comes from God and what does not.

Come Holy Spirit, fill the Hearts of Your Faithful, kindle in us the Fire of Your Love.
Jesus, we trust in You. Mary, Mother of the Church, pray for us. St. Padre Pio, pray for us.
 
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MariaChristi,

That is a very inspirational response and the Holy Spirit is always there with us especially as a guide once we are baptized. Of course, there are some baptized that did not receive the final seal in confirmation to be a full soldier of Christ.

We hear of battles about struggles in getting some children baptized and some fall away from the faith when they cannot acquire the holy sacrament of baptism for their child in a timely manner. I can preach to attend church faithfully but at times my ambitious reply falls on deaf ears.

Is Sunday for football or is it the sabbath? Sometimes it’s a struggle beyond what we can realize but worldly things or events are true to life. Yet, in speaking truth for god I know the feeling of joy from the Holy Spirit. And, many of the younger will pray hard when they are older. That is why I pray so often to Saint Patrick the names of those who I hope find conversion (he is the heavenly expert).

God bless you and I am glad you have a wonderful feeling of joy in your sufferings among the many who do god’s work!!
 
Dear CatholicSpirit,

Thanks again for you second reply. I must admit however that I’m not one who has suffered greatly in my life – which I believe is a testimony to God’s Mercy. He gives me little things to suffer, but I am grateful for the graces He gives me to offer those little things in union with His great sufferings, and our Mother Mary’s sufferings, in loving reparation to them for my sins and the sins of the world.

Neither am I one who can say I’ve experienced “a wonderful feeling of joy” in suffering. As St. Therese said: “Everything is Grace”. God’s working in our lives is a beautiful and mysterious work that He does as we continue to trust Him and continue to ask to receive Him, seek to find Him and knock on the door, for it to open (cf Mt. 7:7-11)

A priest on retreat told us once that there will be many “surprises” in heaven. Please let us pray for one another, for the Church, and for all those in most need of God’s Mercy.
 
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Dear MariaChristi,

Be sure to reflect on the lives of Alexandrina Maria da Costa and the Catholic term of “victim soul” as it may awaken you additionally spiritually!
 
Thanks, CatholicSpirit,

I had heard of Alexandrina Maria da Costa sometime ago, but looked her up on the internet just now and read the Homily of St. John Paul II – given at her Mass of Beatification. If anyone else is interested in reading about her see HERE

Jesus, we trust in You!
Mary, Mother of the Church, pray for us.
Blessed Alexandrina Maria de Costa, pray for us.
 
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Everyone participating in this thread is to be commended. This is delightful to read. Prayers for all of you.
 
Dear Eric,

Thank you, for your “delightful” contribution to this thread.

The Body of Christ is a truly “Wonder - full” reality. When we are baptized into Christ, we become members of His Body and members of one another. (cf Eph 4) God enables us by His Grace to speak the Truth lovingly to one another. To speak the Truth is to share His love – in fact, since Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life – when we speak His Truth in His Love, we are in a mysterious way, giving Jesus to others!

Through Mary, Mother and Model of the Church, may all who read this thread find Jesus in some way speaking to them!
 
I have recently suspected that suffering with joy has always involved turning suffering into sources of power and strength, of making the Cross into the Tree of Life.

Library : Transforming Weakness into Strength

Transforming Weakness into Strength In this inspiring article, written by John A. O'Brien in 1942, we are reminded of the power to be found in handicaps, infirmity, and adversity. By following the examples of Jesus, St. Paul, Job, and others, we can learn how to best deal with our weaknesses...
www.catholicculture.org www.catholicculture.org
 
Dear Edwyn,

Thanks for your contribution to the this thread; the link to the article from Catholic Culture, was well written. The final paragraph was especially beautiful:
… In the example of Christ we have the manner of dealing with our handicaps, accepting them, using them, changing them from obstacles into stepping stones, transforming them into sources of power, converting them into the rungs of a ladder by which we can scale the heights.

Here indeed is the Christian philosophy of life — a philosophy in which faith in the primacy of the spiritual values in the life of man shines forth luminously. Here is the losing of oneself and the forgetfulness of one’s own sufferings in the lifelong struggle to aid others. Here is the alchemy of faith. Here is the power of love.
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