by Dr. Jacob Mathew, Malankara World

Mary is known as the "mother of Sorrows." We note that ever since she said "yes" to the angel Gabriel at annunciation, she had to face numerous "sorrows" or suffering. Some examples are:

Sorrows (Dolours):

• The Prophecy of Simeon (Luke 2:33-35)
• The Flight into Egypt (Matthew 3: 13-15)
• The Loss of Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:41-52)
• The Meeting of Jesus and Mary on the Way of the Cross (John 19:17)
• The Crucifixion (John 19:25-30)
• The Taking Down of the Body of Jesus from the Cross (John 19: 31-37)
• Jesus laid in the Tomb (John 19:38-42)

Mary did have a warning on the future on May'ltho day when Jesus was brought to the temple. After purification ceremonies, Simeon tells her:

Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother:

"This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel,
And a sword will pierce your own soul too."
Luke 2:34 - 35

Gary C. Burger, Mdiv. commented on this warning to St. Mary as follows:

"These statements bear the point of crisis in this story. Until now, all the prophecies have been full of good news. Everyone is happy. They're passing out the cigars, passing out the drinks.

Everyone is congratulating Mary and Joseph on being the lucky ones chosen by God to bear and raise the Messiah who would make everything in the world right again. Who would have thought that even one of God's people would reject this Messiah?

From the powerful leaders to the powerless poor, Israel is begging for God's compassionate mercy, for God's Savior, for God's deliverance, for God's kingdom on earth.

Again, who would reject this Savior?

The facts will bear out that many did and now do reject him. When people meet Jesus, hear His words, see His miracles, feel His judgment of their sins, feel His compassion for their suffering, and hear that He rose from the dead they experience a point of crisis. They intuitively know God requires them to either receive Him or reject Him.

Simeon's prophecy brought tragic news that would simmer in the back of Mary's mind for years to come, both wondering and dreading how they would be fulfilled. These words must have come back to haunt her many times as Jesus was growing up and then during His public ministry when the Jewish leaders opposed Him and then especially when He was arrested and crucified."

One of the heartbreaking scene is Mary sitting on the foot of the cross holding the body of her dead son when it was lowered to the cross. It is difficult to keep a dry eye when watching the famous "Pieta", the sculpture of Mary holding Jesus' dead body.

Oh! on what a sea of sorrow
Was the Virgin-Mother cast,
When her eyes with tears o'erflowing
Gazed upon her Son aghast,
From the bloodstained gibbet taken,
Dying in her arms at last.

In her bitter desolation,
His sweet mouth, His bosom too,
Then His riven side beloved,
Then each hand, both wounded through,
Then His feet, with blood encrimsoned,
Her maternal tears bedew.

She, a hundred times and over,
Strains Him closely to her breast
Heart to Heart, arms arms enfolding,
Are His wounds on her impressed:
Thus, in sorrow's very kisses,
Melts her anguished soul to rest.

Oh, dear Mother! we beseech thee,
By the tears thine eyes have shed,
By the cruel death of Jesus
And His wounds' right royal red,
Make our hearts o'erflow with sorrow
From thy heart's deep fountainhead.

To the Father, Son, and Spirit,
Now we bend on equal knee:
Glory, sempiternal glory,
To the Most High Trinity;
Yea! perpetual praise and honor
Now and through all ages be.

We will end this article with Saint Alphonsus Liguori's Prayer To The Mother Of Sorrows

O, my Blessed Mother, it is not one sword only with which I have pierced thy heart, but I have done so with as many as are the sins which I have committed.

O, Lady, it is not to thee, who art innocent, that sufferings are due, but to me, who am guilty of so many crimes.

But since thou hast been pleased to suffer so much for me, by thy merits, obtain me great sorrow for my sins, and patience under the trials of this life, which will always be light in comparison with my demerits; for I have often deserved Hell.

by St. Alphonsus Liguori

Mary was the Queen of Martyrs, for her martyrdom was longer and greater than that of all the Martyrs.

Who can ever have a heart so hard that it will not melt on hearing the most lamentable event which once occurred in the world? There was a noble and holy Mother Who had an only Son. This Son was the most amiable that can be imagined - innocent, virtuous, beautiful, Who loved His Mother most tenderly; so much so that He had never caused her the least displeasure, but had ever shown her all respect, obedience, and affection: hence this Mother had placed all her affections on earth in this Son.

Hear, then, what happened. This Son, through envy, was falsely accused by His enemies; and though the judge knew, and himself confessed, that He was innocent, yet, that he might not offend His enemies, he condemned Him to the ignominious death that they had demanded.

This poor Mother had to suffer the grief of seeing that amiable and beloved Son unjustly snatched from her in the flower of His age by a barbarous death; for, by dint of torments and drained of all His blood, He was made to die on an infamous gibbet in a public place of execution, and this before her own eyes.

Devout souls, what say you? Is not this event, and is not this unhappy Mother worthy of compassion. You already understand of whom I speak. This Son, so cruelly executed, was our loving Redeemer Jesus; and this Mother was the Blessed Virgin Mary; Who, for the love she bore us, was willing to see Him sacrificed to Divine Justice by the barbarity of men. This great torment, then, which Mary endured for us - a torment which was more than a thousand deaths deserves both our compassion and our gratitude. If we can make no other return for so much love, at least let us give a few moments this day to consider the greatness of the sufferings by which Mary became the Queen of martyrs; for the sufferings of her great martyrdom exceeded those of all the martyrs; being, in the first place, the longest in point of duration; and, in the second place, the greatest in point of intensity.

"The passion of Jesus," as Saint Bernard says, "commenced with His birth". So also did Mary, in all things like unto her Son, endure her martyrdom throughout her life. Amongst other significations of the name of Mary, as Blessed Albert the Great asserts, is that of "a bitter sea." Hence to her is applicable the text of Jeremias : "great as the sea is thy destruction." For as the sea is all bitter and salt, so also was the life of Mary always full of bitterness at the sight of the passion of the Redeemer, which was ever present to her mind.

"There can be no doubt, that, enlightened by the Holy Ghost in a far higher degree than all the prophets, she, far better than they, understood the predictions recorded by them in the sacred Scriptures concerning the Messia." This is precisely what the angel revealed to St. Bridget; and he also added, `that the Blessed Virgin, even before she became His Mother, knowing how much the Incarnate Word was to suffer for the salvation of men, and compassionating this innocent Saviour, who was to be so cruelly put to death for crimes not His own, even then began her great martyrdom."

Her grief was immeasurably increased when she became the Mother of this Saviour; so that at the sad sight of the many torments which were to be endured by her poor Son, she indeed suffered a long martyrdom, a martyrdom which lasted her whole life. This was signified with great exactitude to Saint Bridget in a vision which she had in Rome, in the church of Saint Mary Major, where the Blessed Virgin with Saint Simeon, and an angel bearing a very long sword, reddened with blood, appeared to her, denoting thereby the long, and bitter grief which transpierced the heart of Mary during her whole life. When the above named Rupert supposes Mary thus speaking: "Redeemed souls, and my beloved children, do not pity me only for the hour in which I beheld my dear Jesus expiring before my eyes; for the sword of sorrow predicted by Simeon pierced my soul during the whole of my life: when I was giving suck to my Son, when I was warming Him in my arms, I already foresaw the bitter death that awaited Him. Consider, then, what long and bitter sorrows I must have endured."

Moreover, says Saint Antoninus, "while other martyrs suffered by sacrificing their own lives, the Blessed Virgin suffered by sacrificing her Son's life, a life that she loved far more than her own; so that she not only suffered in her soul all that her Son endured in His body, but moreover the sight of her Son's torments brought more grief to her heart than if she had endured them all in her own person. No one can doubt that Mary suffered in her heart all the outrages which she saw inflicted on her beloved Jesus. Any one can understand that the sufferings of children are also those of their mothers who witness them. Saint Augustine, considering the anguish endured by the mother of the Maccabees in witnessing the tortures of her sons, says, "she, seeing their sufferings, suffered in each one; because she loved them all, she endured in her soul what they endured in their flesh." Thus also did Mary suffer all those torments, scourges, thorns, nails, and the cross, which tortured the innocent flesh of Jesus, all entered at the same time into the heart of this Blessed Virgin, to complete her martyrdom. "He suffered in the flesh, and she in her heart," writes that Blessed Amadeus. "So much so," says Saint Lawrence Justinian, "that the heart of Mary became, as it were, a mirror of the Passion of the Son, in which might be seen, faithfully reflected, the spitting, the blows and wounds, and all that Jesus suffered." Saint Bonaventure also remarks that "those wounds - which were scattered over the body of our Lord were all united in the single heart of Mary."

by Mother M. Angelica

From the time of Adam and Eve, man has tried to escape suffering in any form. It is a mystery to all except the holy ones of God. The Prophets saw it as a call from God to repent. The Apostles saw it as "a happy privilege" to imitate Jesus. Pagans saw it as foolishness. Men of today see it as an evil and try to avoid it, but it follows them wherever they go.

The Father chose suffering for His Son from His birth to His death and Jesus reminded us that the servant is not above the master. If He, as God-Man had to "suffer in order to enter into <His> Glory," then we too must suffer in order to prepare ourselves for <our> glory.

God is Love and He wants to share Himself with us here and in eternity, but the cravings of our nature, the lure of riches, and the temptations of the Enemy all combine to distract, dissuade and discourage us from our goal. The sufferings of this life not only make our temperament more like the Divine Personality of Jesus, but detach us from the things of this world. This Divine preparation opens our souls to the working and pruning of the Father.

Our degree of glory and our capacity for love for all eternity will depend upon our grace at the moment of our death.

Preventive Suffering

How many times have we implored God for some favor with great fervor, only to suffer the most crushing disappointment. Months or years later our hearts break out in prayers of thanksgiving when we look back and realize the acquisition of such a "favor" would have been disastrous!

Corrective Suffering

Throughout the Old Testament one can almost feel the Heart of God reaching a breaking point as He pleads with His People not to live outside of His Will-not because He desires all men to do as He says, but because the creatures He made live happier lives when they love their Creator. It is for their sakes, not His that He brings them back to Him by chastisement.

He alone knows what is best for the creature He made. He knows what is necessary to prepare that creature for another existence far superior to the one into which he was created. There is a positive step to happiness called "The Commandments" designed to make His creatures operate at the peak of their capabilities.

When the soul disobeys these simple rules, made for a higher purpose, untold suffering ensues. We cannot blame this suffering on God. It is the inevitable result of disobedience.

Even so, God, who watches our unreasonable behavior, brings good out of evil. Only when man deliberately and consistently rejects His pursuing love, does he fall from grace. The beautiful human being created to the image of God, becomes a grotesque caricature of what he was meant to be.

One of the best examples of Corrective Suffering is our Conscience. The small child reaching for a cookie that his mother has forbidden him to eat, feels a quiet uneasiness pass over his soul like the touch of an invisible hand. He can feel his soul, for a short moment, recoil from disobedience.

A man who listens to this silent admonisher in his life will be happier; if he does not, the pain increases and he loses his peace. When he consistently refuses to acknowledge the presence of his conscience or the suffering it brings, he kills it and never feels this Corrective Suffering again. One day he will totally reject God.

Repentant Suffering

The sinner who suddenly realizes God's love for him and then looks at his rejection of that love, feels a loss similar to the death of a loved one. A deep void is created in the soul and a loneliness akin to the agony of death. The soul feels wrapped in an icy grip of fear. This is not, however, the fear of punishment, but the realization of its ingratitude towards so good and loving a God. Sorrow begins to heal the wounds made by sin and God Himself comforts the soul with the healing balm of His Mercy and Compassion.

If the sin were great, the soul, humbled by self-knowledge, remembers its weakness so as never to offend God again, but forever rejoices in His Mercy. This combination of mourning and comfort keeps the soul in a state of dependence and trust in God, who sought and found His lost sheep.

Man seeks to make up for his sins in some positive way. A thief gives away something to the poor; a man with a temper seeks to be gentle. King David realized that accomplishing some good work was pleasing to God, but he knew something it would be well for us to remember. He understood that the very suffering of his repentance was pleasing to God.

Redemptive Suffering

The word "redeem" means to rescue, set free, ransom, and to pay the penalty incurred by another. We often lose sight of the definition to "set free," and miss the power of our example as Christians to do exactly that-set our neighbor free.

St. Paul did not want the sufferings encountered by being a Christian to discourage or dishearten anyone. He realized that when the Christian saw the blessings and grace that poured upon him after his trials, he would gain courage to suffer in his turn.

Whatever we do to our neighbor, we do to Jesus and all the sufferings our neighbor encounters in his daily life help to build up the Mystical Body of Christ.

What is the purpose of all this suffering for others? "It is all to bind you together in love," says St. Paul, "and to stir your minds, so that your understanding may come to full development" (Col. 2:2).

Witness Suffering

"We prove we are servants of God by great fortitude in times of suffering."(2 Cor. 6:4-10) To see a Christian believe in God's Love when sorrow befalls him gives Hope.

To see joy on the face of a Christian beset with trials and problems, gives us a new concept of Faith.

To see someone crushed but serene over the death of a loved one, makes us realize there is another life.

To see sickness and pain patiently borne gives us courage.

To see a friend who has suffered the loss of all things begin again with trust and love, gives us strength to continue on.

To see forgiveness and mercy after friends quarrel, brings joy to our hearts.

To see sinners turn to God and rise to great heights of sanctity, increases our trust in His Love and Mercy.

No matter what kind or what degree of pain and sorrow we must endure, we are capable of witnessing to the love of Jesus.

The very fruit the Spirit bears in us calls for Suffering. St. Paul says the fruit of the Spirit is love, but it is not always easy to love. Our love must extend itself to the unlovable. We are to be joyful, but we must be detached and possess a great trust in God to maintain joy.

Interior Suffering

One of human nature's greatest sufferings is the kind that is within the soul. It is called Interior Suffering and is difficult because although we can express it to a friend, we can never express it on the level of experience.

Physical pain can be measured by degrees and machines, but Interior Suffering is experienced only by the soul and is known only to God.

Its variety is unlimited because each soul's mental, spiritual, temperamental and intellectual level differs from anyone else's. Each soul is a unique creation from the hand of God and its sufferings are totally its own.

Physical pain affects the soul inasmuch as the soul reacts either patiently or impatiently with the condition of the body, but interior suffering is spiritual pain.

Resentments, doubts and lukewarmness eat at our soul and create an emptiness that places us in a spiritual vacuum.

Temperament faults play havoc with our faculties and send our human spirit on a merry-go-round of confusion and discouragement.

Time lays heavy upon us and monotony covers us like a fog in the night. Success often brings the fear of failure and the constant grind of eating, sleeping and working creates a lethargy that leads to boredom.

Misunderstandings can gnaw at our souls as we seek for solutions to impossible situations.

The remembrance of past sorrows and the prospect of more to come, paralyze our souls and place us in a state of near despair.

Perhaps the greatest interior suffering is the kind that strikes us when we thirst for God and then find ourselves deprived of the awareness of His Presence. We can withstand the distress that comes from our imperfections and the coldness of our neighbor, but when God seems so far away, there is no greater pain.

We see this interior suffering in Sts. Peter and Paul as doubts assailed them regarding circumcision, sorrow over the persecution and death of their converts, the misunderstandings between Christians and the harassment of fellow Jews. At times they were weary and Paul speaks of his anguish and weariness of soul as a sting of the flesh.

Interior suffering can be more purifying than any other form of pain because we are forced to cope with it. We can distract ourselves and forget a sprained ankle, but when dryness, weariness, sadness, worry and fear assail us, they hound us wherever we go.

We must understand why God permits this interior suffering, for at first glance it would seem life provides enough pain to sanctify us.

Daily trials and even physical pain are somehow outside of us, but interior pain, be it spiritual or mental, is deep within, and forces us to be patient and practice virtue. Interior trials sanctify us slowly because they have the power to change us for the better. It is in the soul, in our personality and temperament, that change must occur if we are to reflect the image of Jesus.

We may have cancer and be healed, but never change. We may triumph over some disagreeable situation, but never change. But when our pain is inside our soul and we cooperate with God's Grace in using it, then it has the power to change us.

It is in our souls that God does His most magnificent work. The world may look upon the aged, the sick and the retarded with sympathy, but God's work in their souls, through the power of interior suffering, is doing a greater work than when He created the Universe. Only in eternity shall we see the beauty of the soul and only then shall we realize what great things were accomplished by interior suffering.

We can be sure that:

• Dryness makes us patient as we seek to love God for Himself.
• Mental anguish makes us depend upon His Wisdom.
• Doubts increase our Faith when we act according to our beliefs rather than our reasoning.
• Fear makes us trust God's Providence and Hope in His Goodness.
• Anxiety leads us to distrust ourselves and release our problems to an all-loving God.
• Worry makes us realize our helplessness and instills a desire to throw ourselves into the Arms of His Infinite Wisdom.
• Discouragement over our imperfections makes us strive for holiness with greater determination.
• Uncertainty as to our future makes us look forward to the Kingdom.

And

• Disappointments detach us from the things that pass and make us look to those that are everlasting.

If we saw the Hand of God in our moment to moment existence we would soon realize that our neighbor is being used by God to bring us out of darkness into a marvelous light.

For the most part, our neighbor is not aware that he is a cross to us, but the cross he places on our shoulders is of more benefit to our souls than the compliments of our friends.

Wasted Suffering

Suffering in itself does not make us holy. If it did, all those in hell would be saved, for they endure great suffering and that pain is eternal.

It is because Jesus suffered and we unite our pain to His that suffering changes and transforms us. It is because His Spirit dwells in our souls through Baptism that He suffers when we suffer. What we do to the least, we do to Jesus and as we inflict pain on others without knowing what we are doing, so we suffer badly, not realizing what treasures we lose.

We find a striking example in Scripture of Wasted Suffering in the Gospel of St. John. Jesus told the disciples, "They will expel you from the synagogues and indeed the hour is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is doing a holy duty for God. They will do these things because they have never known either the Father or Myself."-Jn. 16:2,3)

Whenever we suffer without love it is wasted pain.

Jesus And Suffering

Jesus knew that once He, the Son of the Father, was stretched out on the Cross, all men of faith would obtain the strength to endure the sufferings the Father permitted in their lives.

Jesus knew suffering would not pass from any of us after His Resurrection and He made sure we understood its role in our lives. Throughout the Gospels He promises us suffering and persecution and asks that we accept it with Joy.

He called all those who suffer "blessed" when they overcame their natural weaknesses. He promised Heaven to those who suffered interior and exterior poverty. To those who preferred God to themselves He promised Union with the Father. To those who put their feelings and resentments aside and forgave, He promised Mercy. To those who struggled to maintain peace, He promised sonship. And to those who suffered because they loved Him, He promised Joy.

Before all these fruits would be manifested. some kind of suffering was necessary. His own suffering would have been powerful enough to destroy suffering from the face of the earth, but He did not choose this course. He preferred to continue permitting suffering and make Himself the example for all men to follow.

by Gary Zimak

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of His Body, that is, the Church (Col 1:24).

When I first read St. Paul's words to the people of Colossae, I was stunned and I'm sure that I'm not alone. Is he actually stating that Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross was somehow incomplete? Did Paul have to suffer in order to somehow complete the Lord's salvific mission at Calvary? Furthermore, what's this about rejoicing in his sufferings? In order to better understand this confusing passage, let's explore the Church teaching on redemptive suffering and its importance in our daily lives. After we're finished, I think you'll agree that it not only makes sense, but that it really is possible to "rejoice in our sufferings".

Before anyone misinterprets St. Paul's statement, let's set the record straight. The Catholic Church teaches that the suffering of Christ has infinite value and was fully sufficient to cover all of our sins. In other words, He did His job completely. By dying on the Cross in atonement for our sins, Jesus made it possible for us to go to heaven – period! However, in His infinite wisdom and mercy, Christ allows all those incorporated into His Mystical Body (the Church) to suffer with Him and assist in the process of redemption. Fortunately for us, this very simplified explanation of redemptive suffering is all we need to know in order to take advantage of it!

As we explore the importance of offering up our suffering, it's important to first acknowledge two facts:

1. Everyone has some form of suffering in their lives.

2. All earthly suffering is temporary and will come to an end.

One of the biggest mistakes we make is failing to recognize suffering in our daily lives. Sure, we can recognize the "big stuff" such as cancer, unemployment, broken relationships and death, but we often fail to recognize the "little things" such as remaining quiet when we feel like arguing, waiting in a long line at the grocery store, sitting in a traffic jam or performing a charitable act when we'd rather relax. By not identifying these minor inconveniences as forms of suffering, we miss many opportunities to offer them up.

When it comes to offering up these "little things", few people were better than St. Therese of Lisieux. Rather than complain, she embraced small inconveniences and used them as a way to climb up on the Cross with Jesus. She understood that, by doing so, she was able to assist Him with the salvation of mankind. In the same way, Jesus calls all of us to join in His redemptive mission. We each have unique sufferings that only we can bring to the Cross.

In addition to small inconveniences, many people are suffering to a much greater degree. Unemployment, job dissatisfaction, loneliness, divorce and illness are a regular part of many lives. Despite prayers asking for relief, it may take days, months, years, or a lifetime for the suffering to disappear. How can we continue functioning when faced with days of misery and pain? I've discovered that a great way to make suffering more bearable is to remember that it will pass and to look at it as a gift.

Now, before you accuse me of being out of my mind, let's explore this a bit further. Every one of us owes Jesus a debt that we could not possibly repay. He died a painful and agonizing death on the Cross so that we could live forever in heaven. Without His sacrifice, this would not have been possible. Furthermore, His bloody sacrifice was necessary not for His sins…but for OUR sins! All of the sins (both venial and mortal) that we have committed (and continue to commit every day) are the cause of Our Lord's painful death on the Cross. Doesn't it seem right that we should do something to help Him? Shouldn't we hurt a little bit also? Thanks to the gift of suffering in our lives, we can do just that. By accepting our suffering and offering it up, we are able to share in Christ's pain…and His mission.

In addition to uniting our suffering to Christ's, we should also remember to ask for His help. The Lord doesn't expect us to carry our crosses alone and will provide the graces necessary for us to continue moving forward, even when it's difficult. St. Paul was very aware of this when he penned the words, "for when I am weak, I am strong" (2 Cor 12:10). Sometimes we get caught in the trap of trying to suffer alone, thinking that asking for God's help will decrease the effect of our sacrifice. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. Our sacrifice lies in the fact that we are willingly offering up our suffering, not that we make it as painful as possible. If God wants to give us peace in the midst of suffering…let Him! The Lord knows that we can't do it alone and provides us the needed graces through prayer and the reception of the sacraments. Not taking advantage of His help often borders on pride, thinking that we can do it by ourselves!

If you don't have any major suffering in your life, be grateful and offer up the dozens of minor inconveniences that you experience throughout the day. If you do have major suffering in your life, take consolation in the fact that one day it will end. Until that day arrives, you have the great privilege of sharing in the redemptive suffering of Our Lord, Jesus Christ! Even though it seems illogical, we should strive to be thankful for the gift of suffering in our life and make use of it before it goes away. Since our suffering might end tomorrow (we might find a new job, meet that special "someone" or recover from our illness), why miss the chance to offer it up today while we still have it? By uniting our suffering to that of Christ, we can all win the crown of salvation and live with Him forever in a kingdom where there is no suffering or pain!

by Msgr. Charles Pope

One of the greatest (but most painful) of mysteries is that of suffering and evil in the world. I was meditating with my Sunday school parents this past weekend on the Old Testament patriarch Joseph. His story is rich with lessons about family struggles, envy, jealousy, pride, mercy, and forgiveness. But it also has a lot to say about suffering and the way that God can use it to bring blessings.

While there are many layers to Joseph's story, both personal and communal, it is clear that God often allows great injustice and suffering only to produce great glory and healing on account of it. Let's weave the story together with some basic teachings about suffering.

A. Structures of sin bring suffering

The story of Joseph begins with a dysfunctional household. Joseph's father, Jacob, had two wives (Leah and Rachel) and twelve sons with his wives and their maids (Zilpah and Bilhah). Polygamy and adultery are not part of God's plan! To be outside of God's will is always to ask for trouble. Having sons by four different women produces no end of internecine conflicts. Sure enough, Jacob's sons all vie for power and have divided loyalties because they have different mothers.

And in this matter we see that much suffering is ushered in by human sinfulness. When we are outside of God's will we invite trouble. Sadly, the trouble affects not only the sinners, but many others as well.

Thus the sons of Jacob have been born into a mess, and into what moralists describe as the “structures of sin.” In these broken situations of structural sin, sin and suffering multiply.

And it is often the children who suffer. Having inherited a mess, the children begin to act badly and disdainfully. Suffering and evil grow rapidly in these settings.

In the world today, it is probably not an exaggeration to say that 80% of our suffering would go away if we all just kept the commandments. But, sadly, we do not repent, either individually or collectively.

And thus the first answer to why there is suffering is sin. Original Sin ended paradise. Individual sin brings dysfunction and a host of social ills. And while this does not explain all suffering (e.g., natural disasters) it does explain a lot of it.

Joseph is about to suffer on account of a structurally sinful situation brought about by Jacob, his wives, and his mistresses, and contributed to by all the members of the household. It's not his fault but he will suffer.

B. Suffering can bring purification and humility

Though Joseph's brothers all fought among themselves, they did agree on one thing: Jacob's youngest son, Joseph, just had to go. Jacob's favorite wife was Rachel, and when she finally bore a son (Joseph) he became Jacob's favorite. Jacob doted on him, praised him, and even gave him a beautiful coat that inflamed his brothers with jealousy. They were also enraged and envious because Joseph had many gifts: he was a natural leader; he was able to interpret dreams. Joseph had the kind of self-esteem that perhaps celebrated his gifts too boldly. Among the dreams that he had (and related) was that he would one day rule over his brothers. This was altogether too much for them. Even Jacob had to rebuke Joseph for speaking in this manner.

Here we see a possible flaw or character defect in Joseph. It is hard to know if Joseph actually crossed the line. After all, his dreams were true. He was a gifted young man and would one day rule over his brothers. Someone once said, "It's not boasting if it's true."

And while this has some validity, it is possible for us to conclude that Joseph was awfully self-assured and may have lacked humility, something that required purification.

Surely, as a young man he had a lot to learn. Suffering has a way of both purifying us and granting us humility and wisdom. If Joseph was going to be a great leader, he, like Moses before him, needed some time in the desert of suffering. And thus we sense that God permitted trials for him in order to prepare him for wise, effective, and compassionate leadership.

And so, too, for us. Trials and sufferings prepare us for greater things and purify us of pride and self-reliance. Woe to the man who has not suffered, who is unbroken. God permits us trials and difficulties in order to help us hone our skills, know our limits, grow in wisdom, and develop compassion and trust.

C. Suffering opens doors

On account of all of this, Joseph's brothers plot to kill him. But, figuring that they can make some money, they instead sell him to the Ishmaelites as a slave. Joseph ends up in Egypt, in the house of the wealthy Potiphar. His natural leadership skills earn him quick promotions and he soon comes to manage Potiphar's extensive household.

It is true that Joseph had a disaster befall him: he was sold into slavery. It is hard to imagine a worse fate. Yet strangely God permitted that in order to open a door. When Joseph was being carted off to Egypt in chains, it would have been hard to convince him that his life was anything but a disaster. Yet God was up to something good.

Within months Joseph is in a good spot, working for a wealthy man as a trusted adviser and manager. As we shall see, more still will be required in order for Joseph to be prepared for his ultimate work.

But at this point in the story, the lesson is clear enough: God permits some sufferings in order to get us to move to the next stage. He closes one door but opens another. There is pain in the closing of the door to the familiar, but there is greater joy beyond in the door He opens.

How about for you? What doors has God closed in your life, only to open something better? At the time a door closes we may suffer and wonder if God cares. But later we see what God was doing, for the new door opens to things far greater.

D. Suffering helps summon courage

In a tragic way, sorrow comes again to Joseph. Potiphar's wife takes a liking to Joseph and tries to seduce him. Joseph refuses her advances out of fear of God and respect for Potiphar. But in her scorn she falsely accuses Joseph of having made advances on her and Joseph is thrown in jail! More misery, more suffering, on account of the sins of others, not his own! Joseph was suffering for doing the right thing!

One of the great virtues that we must all develop is that of courage. In a world steeped in sin it takes great courage to resist the tide.

But courage, like any virtue cannot simply be developed in the abstract. Rather, it must be developed. It must quite often be refined in the crucible of opposition and persecution.

And thus we see how God helps Joseph to develop his courage and trust by permitting this trial. Many centuries later, Jesus would say, In this world you shall have tribulation, but have confidence, I have overcome the world (Jn 16:33). He also said, Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs (Matt 5:10).

As for Joseph, so also for us. If we are going to make it through this sinful world with our soul intact, we are going to need a lot of courage. The Lord often develops courage via the crucible, asking us to trust Him that we will be vindicated, whether in this world or the next.

E. Suffering builds trust

While in prison, Joseph meets two other prisoners from Pharaoh's household: the cup-bearer, and the baker. In prison, they witness Joseph's ability to interpret dreams and observe his natural leadership skills. In accordance with a prophecy given by Joseph, the cup-bearer is restored to Pharaoh's service. He reports Joseph's dream-interpretation skills to Pharaoh, who is having troubling dreams.

God humbles us only to exalt us. As Joseph has learned, God can make a way out of no way. He can do anything but fail, and He writes straight with crooked lines.

In jail Joseph, has his trust in God confirmed. Through his connections in jail, of all places, he will rise to become the prime minister of all Egypt. Having come through the crucible, Joseph is now ready for the main work that God has in store for him.

Consider how God's providence has prepared you for something that you wouldn't have been able to handle at an earlier stage in your life. Surely he prepared you in many ways, but among them was through humility and suffering. Setbacks or failures have a way of teaching us and preparing us for some of the greatest things that we enjoy. In our struggles we learn the essential truth. We come to trust and depend on God, who knows what we need, what is best for us, and how to prepare us for the work He expects from us.

F. Suffering produces wisdom

Joseph is brought to Pharaoh, and not only does he powerfully interpret Pharaoh's dreams, but also presents a 14-year plan that will lead them through a looming crisis. Pharaoh is impressed and appoints Joseph as the equivalent of prime minister of all Egypt.

Joseph is able to interpret Pharaoh's dream. But he doesn't simply interpret what it means, he also sets forth a wise plan. He explains to Pharaoh that the next 14 years will have their ups and downs. And where might Joseph have learned this truth? In the crucible of his own life, of course.

There is great wisdom in grasping that what is seen and experienced in this world is transitory. We do well to listen to the Lord's wisdom, which is eternal.

Centuries later, the Lord related a parable of a wealthy man who had a great harvest and thought he was set forever. Lord called him a fool for thinking this way. Our abundance is not meant to be hoarded for ourselves. Excess food is not to be stored away for ourselves, but rather "stored" in the stomachs of the hungry.

And thus Joseph has been prepared for this moment by God. Joseph is no fool; he has learned God's wisdom and direction. Whatever abundance occurs in the next seven years must be set aside for those who will be hungry in the years that follow.

Joseph's wisdom is no accident, no mere hunch; it has come from the crucible of suffering. Suffering does that. It helps us to become wise, to get our priorities straight. In this case it helps us to understand that our wealth depends on the "commonwealth." We cannot live merely for ourselves; that is foolishness. We are called to live for others.

What wisdom has God taught you through suffering? How has suffering helped you to get your priorities straight? How has it helped you to see the passing quality of life in this world and to set your sights on the world to come and on the judgment that awaits you? On the Day of Judgment will God call you foolish or wise? If you are wise, how did you get there?

G. In our suffering, we learn that our lives are not about us

Joseph predicted seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine. Under Joseph's direction, grain was stored in abundance during the years of plenty. So plentiful were the harvests during those years that the stored grain saved Egypt and many neighboring lands saved from famine. In a plot twist, Joseph's brothers come to Egypt seeking food during those lean years. His anxious brothers recognize him and fear for their lives. Joseph reassures them by remarking that though their actions were intended for evil, God intended them for good. Joseph saves the very brothers who wanted to kill him.

In our suffering, we learn that our lives are not about us. Joseph was not purified and prepared for this moment simply for his own sake, but for the sake of others as well (or maybe even more). God has led Joseph, often through terrible suffering, in order to prepare him to help save others.

God did not simply prepare him to be a big cheese. God did not prepare him for glorious leadership for his own sake, but for the sake of others.

One of the lessons that we learn in Joseph's story is that our life is interconnected with that of many other members of the Body of Christ, all of whom are precious and important to God.

God had to put Joseph through a lot in order to prepare him for his role of helping others. We are not called to live only for our own self. God loves us individually, but he also loves others through us. And he loves them enough that sometimes he is willing to make us wait for their sake, or to cause us to suffer in order to groom us to help them. The same is true of them toward us. All of us have benefited from the sacrifices of others and are called to make sacrifices for others.

It is a hard truth that God sometimes asks us to accept suffering for the sake of others, and we are blessed by the sufferings of others who made many sacrifices for the things that we enjoy.

This is the communal dimension of suffering. How has God prepared you, through sufferings today, to be able to help others?

by Msgr. Charles Pope

"But worldly sorrow brings death…"

On Distinguishing a Good and Healthy Guilt From Morbid and...

On of the trickier terrains to navigate in the moral world is the experience of guilt. Guilt is understood here as a kind of sorrow for sin.

On the one hand there is an appropriate sorrow for sin we ought to experience. Yet there are also types of guilt that can set up, either from our flesh or from the devil which are self destructive and inauthentic. Some forms of morbid or harmful guilt can cause great harm and actually increase the frequency of sin due to the way they render a person discouraged and self disparaging rather, rather than chastened but confident of mercy, healing and help. It may be of some value to make some distinctions so that we can discern what sort of guilt is healthy, and what is not.

St. Paul makes an important initial distinction for us to consider in the Second Letter to the Corinthians. Paul had rebuked the Corinthians in an earlier letter (esp. 1 Cor 5) for sinning, and tolerating sin their midst. Evidently his rebuke stung many of them significantly with sorrow. Paul writes:

Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it - I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while - yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done.
(2 Cor 7:8-11)

Notice how Paul distinguishes between "Godly sorrow" and "worldly sorrow." And the way we can distinguish them, according to Paul is by their fruits.

For Godly sorrow has for it fruits:

1. A repentance

2. An earnestness to do what is right. The Greek word is (spoude) which refers also a kind of swiftness rooted in enthusiasm.

3. A longing for what is right. The Greek text speaks of how this Godly sorrow gave them (epipothesis): not just an eager longing but also understood as a strong affection for what is good and just.

4. It also produced in them a kind of indignation for sin,

5. And a kind of holy fear of it.

So, not a bad harvest, to be sure. Godly sorrow brings forth good things and will be known by its fruits. Paul goes on to say that Godly sorrow is a sorrow that God intends and that it does not harm us in any way. Further it leaves no regrets.

We might also add that Godly sorrow is rooted in love, our love for God and others, and our experience of God's love for us. The sorrow is real and often quite sharp, but since it is rooted in love, it makes us run to the beloved we have offended, rather than from Him, as we sulk.

"Godly sorrow" would also seem to be related to the perfect contrition, which we refer to in the traditional Act of Contrition when we say, I detest all my sins, not only because I fear the loss of heaven and the pains of Hell, but most of all , because I have offended you, my God, who art all good and deserving of all my love. Perfect contrition regards love, whereas imperfect contrition regards fear of punishment. Hence Godly sorrow would also seem to assist and increasingly perfect contrition.

I think I once experienced something close to Godly sorrow, approaching perfect contrition, as a child, but somewhat in relation to a human person, my mother. It was my 8th birthday, and Mom knew I loved tall buildings. So she took me to the top of the new John Hancock building in Chicago where we lived and I was thrilled to look out from the 100th floor visitors' center. Then we had a nice lunch and returned home. I remember going to the cookie jar and reaching for one, but mom said, "Not now, you'll spoil your birthday dinner." I must have been tired from the long day for I looked at her and said, "You're mean and I hate you!" As I ran from the room I realized what I had done, and was deeply sorry. I was not afraid she would punish me, I just knew I had said something terrible to my mother, something I didn't mean. In my love and sorrow I cried and went back to tell her how sorry I felt. But love, made my sorrow a Godly sorrow and it drew me back to my mother in a way that increased my love and made me adverse to ever speaking to her like that again. I eagerly helped her set the table and told her I really loved her.

What of "worldly sorrow" as Paul puts it?

He says only it "brings death." Here we must surmise that, whereas Godly sorrow gives live, restores relationship and love, worldly sorrow and guilt sever these things. When we have this kind of guilt or "worldly sorrow" it is not our sins we hate, so much as our self that we hate.

In worldly sorrow, Satan has us where he wants us. Indeed, worldly sorrow is most often a fraud. For, though it masquerades as humility it often pride wherein a person may think, in effect, "How could I have done such a thing?"

If we can know something by its fruits, then we also do well to observe that worldly sorrow will often make us run from God in avoidance, rather than to him in love. Further it will often provoke anger in us making us resentful of God's law, and that we should have to seek mercy and humble ourselves to God, or to another person we have offended. Rather than make us eager to repent, we will often delay repentance out of embarrassment or resentment. Further, these sorts of attitudes can lead us to rationalizing sin and minimizing its significance.

Others go in a very different direction of self-loathing and despair. They may hyper-magnify what they have done or over-correct by descending into an unhealthy scrupulosity, rooted in fear of punishment, more than love of God.

All of these negative fruits, though they often masquerade as something pious, tend only to make sin even more frequent. For if one is self-loathing and despairing of one's capacity to live in God's love, and experience his correction, then there is little strength for them to draw on. They see only weakness and guilt, but miss love and the splendor of grace. Perceiving no basis out of which to get better, they descend deeper into sin, run further from God in unholy fear, and the cycle gets deeper and darker. Thus St. Paul describes worldly sorrow as bringing death.

When one starts to see "fruits" of this sort, it is increasingly certain we are dealing with worldly sorrow which produces all these death-directed drives. A confessor or spiritual director will often have to work long and hard to break some of these negative cycles and help a person find and experience Godly sorrow which brings with it real progress. Godly sorrow is a sorrow to be sure, but one rooted in love.

By Prof. David L. Larsen

Scripture: Philippians 2:5-11

The expression NO CROSS, NO CROWN has been widely used and among the early users was William Penn, founder of the Quaker colony which became Pennsylvania in his tract NO CROSS, NO CROWN published in London in 1669. How well it encapsulates the meaning of the Palm Sunday procession when Jesus comes the first time riding on a lowly donkey as prophesied (cf Zechariah 9:9) in contrast to his return in power and great glory riding on a majestic white horse (Revelation 19:11ff).

First must come "Christ's sufferings . . . and then the glory to be revealed" (1 Peter 5:1). Groans must go before glory. This pattern is seen everywhere in Scripture as in the life of Joseph in the Old Testament where we see that the way up is down. Joseph went down into Egypt, down into prison and then although his brothers did not recognize him was gloriously exalted.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" Jesus insisted (Matthew 5:3).

Three times he preached the sermon "whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted" (Matthew 23:22, Luke 14:11, 18:14). The principle is both embodied and exemplified in our Lord Jesus as set forth in our text. Paul addresses a situation of some local tension and conflict by citing the mind of Christ in one of the great teaching passages on Christ and his work. Doctrine is relevant! Embedded in his careful argument is an ancient Christian hymn exulting in Christ. Let us dig into it.

I. The Self-Emptying of Jesus (2:5-8)

The foundational fact is that Jesus has always existed in very nature God, i.e. he is in the form and image of his Father (Colossians 1:15). The eternally-begotten Son of God has been that of God which has been seen (John 1:18). Although thus eternally in the Father's bosom, Christ did not think his equality with God to be something he should grasp at or forcibly retain. He was not reluctant to empty himself and made himself nothing (7). He did not empty himself of his deity when he became the God-man (Wesley is wrong in "emptied himself of all but love") but of all all the insignia and emblems of his glory. "He took the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness" (7).

But his unimaginable condescension was but the first step down. "Being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross! (8). He suffered indescribable brutalization (as Mel Gibson's The Passion so vividly reminded us) and experienced the most ignominious death which can be experienced (which was almost anti-climactic in Gibson). He "tasted death for everyone" (Hebrews 2:9), was "made sin for us" (2 Corinthians 5:21), "dying for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring us to God (1 Peter 3:18).

The Apostle Paul describes his own self-emptying in the next chapter where he testifies to his counting all things as nothing, indeed as rubbish "that I may gain Christ and be found in him" (Philippians 3:8ff). All matters of pride and boasting, from his ancestry, his orthodoxy, his frenetic activity, his morality - he counted as "loss for the sake of Christ. Can we say with George Mattheson: "I lay in dust life's glory dead/and from the ground there blossoms red LIFE THAT SHALL ENDLESS BE!" ?

II. The Divine Exaltation of Jesus Christ (2:9-11)

"Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name (9). The Biblical pattern is always "not now but afterwards" (Hebrews 12:11). It is imperative that we always take into account the fact that we are not in heaven yet. Still believers in Christ are "the people before the time" i.e., we have already bowed and confessed that he is Lord! We are already tasting "the powers of the age to come" in a very real and significant sense (Hebrews 6:5). The reality remains: we must suffer for him first and then "reign with him" (2 Timothy 2:12). There will be no gain without pain.

The name which he has been given and his exaltation as the object of universal submission (not universal salvation) raises the question: is this name the name of Jesus or his appellation as Lord? My old NT professor at Fuller, Dr. Everett Falconer Harrison used to insist that it is in fact the combination of both - the despised name of Jesus (his incarnation) coupled with the high title of LORD (in resurrection and session)! And we worship the living and exalted Christ! And thus it was for Christ, NO CROSS, NO CROWN. And so it is for us who would follow him.

The personal and pressing meaning of this for me and for you is painful. Dr. Samuel Logan Brengle was a brilliant university student and then outstanding American pulpit orator. But his heart was not satisfied. He did not feel he was really touching people and so joined the Salvation Army and offered his services to General William Booth. To test his calibre, he was assigned to the training garrison and given the task of cleaning the muddy boots of the cadets. A battle royal raged in his heart. The devil pressed his advantage - "was it for this he had renounced his fashionable church and come to London?" Then the Holy Spirit brought a poignant Scripture verse to his mind: "He took a towel and girded himself." In a moment he detected the subtlety of his adversary and from his heart he cried: "Lord, if you could take a towel and wash the dirty feet of the disciples, surely I can take a brush and clean the cadets' dirty boots." So began a ministry which multiplied itself a thousand times in a worldwide ministry (Eternity, 1958). And so our Savior says to us: "Follow me."