[stephenkhoo]

09 September 2013, Monday, 23rd Week, Ordinary Time
ONLY SUFFERING IN UNION WITH CHRIST MAKES ALL SUFFERINGS SALVIFIC AND LIFE-GIVING
SCRIPTURE READINGS: COL 1:24 – 2:3; LK 6:6-11

There seems to be two contradictory messages in today’s scriptural readings. On one hand, we have St Paul proclaiming the redemptive suffering of Christ and his share in Christ’s suffering. Christ as the Wisdom of God for St Paul is precisely His passion, death and resurrection. He wrote, “It was God’s purpose to reveal it to them and to show all the rich glory of this mystery to pagans. The mystery is Christ among you, your hope of glory.” To share in Christ’s glory, we are called to share in Christ’s sufferings. Consequently, following from the way God has revealed Himself, St Paul could rejoice in his sufferings for the Church as he said, “It makes me happy to suffer for you, as I am suffering now, and in my own body to do what I can to make up all that has still to be undergone by Christ for the sake of his body, the Church.”

On the other hand, in the gospel, however, we see how Christ would redeem and relieve man from suffering at all costs even when it comes to breaking the Sabbath law, a serious offence against God. Jesus has no qualms about healing the man on the Sabbath even when He faced opposition from His enemies. “Then he looked around at them all and said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He did so, and his hand was better. But they were furious, and began to discuss the best way of dealing with Jesus.”

So we have a conundrum before us. Is suffering redemptive or destructive? Today, the world thinks that suffering is destructive and we must relieve people from suffering at all costs, to the extent of practicing euthanasia or employing stem cells from human embryos to prolong the life and health of man. Within the Church or in religions in general, healing rallies are popular and often packed with worshippers. The other end of the spectrum is to say that suffering is from God and we should just accept the suffering as a penance for our sins so that we can grow in patience, perfection and sanctification. Some extreme adherents of this view even go to the extent of deliberately mutilating themselves or refusing medical help.

Of course, in truth, there is no real contradiction between what Jesus and Paul taught. Whatever is at stake is the giving of life, especially eternal life. Nevertheless what matters is the latter which must prevail over life on earth. Yet, the relationship between these two dimensions of life cannot be totally detached without impacting the principle of the preservation of life which is always willed by God. So in the case of the man with the withered hand, Jesus healed him for the greater glory of God. The healing of this man was to manifest the compassion of God and also the visitation of God in their midst. At any rate, the underlying meaning of Sabbath is that the day is meant to be spent in love and service for God and our fellowmen. We cannot stop doing good completely simply because it is the Sabbath. Hence, Jesus challenged them asking, “I put it to you: is it against the law on the sabbath to do good, or to do evil; to save life, or to destroy it?”

In the case of Paul, he was suffering for the sake of the gospel, especially in proclaiming the glory of God in Christ Jesus. For Paul, Jesus must be proclaimed as the mystery of God revealed for all humanity. He is the hope of glory and the wisdom in which we thoroughly train everyone and instruct everyone, to make them all perfect in Christ. Having been chosen to be the servant of the Church by God, he is tasked with the deliverance of “the message which was a mystery hidden for generations and centuries and has now has been revealed to his saints.” Indeed, “it was God’s purpose to reveal it to them and to show all the rich glory of this mystery to pagans.” And as Paul declared, “It is for this I struggle wearily on, helped only by his power driving me irresistibly.”

In both cases, Jesus and Paul suffered in the process of proclaiming truth and goodness in their lives. Jesus ultimately had to take our place in suffering for the sins of man who refuses to submit to God’s judgments. Jesus suffered because like Paul, the power that drove Him irresistibly is the overwhelming love of His Father. Their suffering was for love and as a result, this gives life to those around them. They did not suffer so much for their ego like the stoics, but they suffered for love and truth.

When we apply this principle of authentic suffering to our lives, we have to ask ourselves what is our attitude towards suffering? Are we promoting redemptive suffering or vain suffering?

Vain suffering is to be resigned to a situation when we give up hope in improving a situation. Should we go through such sufferings without seeking to change, rectify or improve the situation? Such an attitude is not redemptive suffering! By acting in a defeatist manner, we are allowing evil to triumph over good. It is nothing else but a lack of faith in God’s mercy and love. If this God cannot heal and help us in our daily lives, very soon, we will end up doubting His love. If God is neither powerful to change our lives and help us nor loves us enough to heal us, belief in God’s existence is redundant. Soon, it does not matter whether God exists. This is the cause of atheism and agnosticism. When we read the scriptures, whether the Old or New Testaments, it is filled with stories and testimonies of God’s healing grace and timely intervention especially in helpless situations against the enemies or in sickness. The experience of God’s people is captured in today’s responsorial psalm, “In God is my safety and glory. In God alone be at rest, my soul; for my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock, my stronghold, my fortress: I stand firm. Take refuge in God, all you people. Trust him at all times. Pour out your hearts before him for God is our refuge.”

Redemptive suffering is when we seeking to change but are helpless, for example when we are faced with an incurable sickness or an unjust situation in which we have to suffer innocently. When we are sick, we must continually ask God for grace to heal and be open to His healing grace. If in a difficult situation and injustice, we must offer ourselves as martyrs for change and for the betterment of the Church. And if we are misunderstood or if we have suffered for the truth, then we can call that redemptive suffering. Of course, we need not take matters into our own hands. We must act according to our ability to improve the situation. The least we should do is to speak our minds openly about the truth. Of course, after having spoken up responsibly and things have not changed, we can then offer these to God as sacrifices and penances for the conversion of ourselves and the community. Only God can change the hearts of men as in the case of wars and human conflicts.

In conclusion, we must be discerning and make a distinction between redemptive and destructive suffering. Suffering is redemptive when it challenges us to grow as persons. It is destructive when it destroys our openness to life and love. When sufferings come from an unhealthy spirit of gossiping, jealousy, greed, and pride, then such suffering must be eradicated because they destroy goodness. Suffering is redemptive only when it is done for the sake of the gospel, the greater glory of God and to reveal His love and mercy.

Let us then suffer for love and for life. Most of all, let us suffer like St Paul for the Church, the body of Christ! But there lies the real challenge – how many of us are willing to suffer for the love of Christ and His Church, much less still to suffer for our sins and folly? Let us pray for the grace of St Paul that we too might experience the compelling love of Christ in us so that we too can irresistibly struggle to bring about our healing through redemptive suffering with Christ.