THE 'WHY' OF SUFFERING

Pope John Paul II once said that the answer to the ‘Why’ of suffering depends on the ability to comprehend the sublimity of divine love. Unfortunately for most of us, it is beyond our ability to comprehend the wonder and perfection of God’s love. Left to my own means, I could not comprehend it; the ‘Why’ of suffering would remain unanswered.

Nearly thirty years of chronic and incurable disease have often raised the question ‘Why?’  During my early years with aggressive multiple sclerosis, physical, emotional and spiritual pain scorched like a fire and occupied most of my attention. Internal panic and anguish completely distracted me from being internally still and listening with my heart and not my head, as diseased attacked my body. The ‘Why’ of my suffering was not actually a question – it was part pleading prayer and part desperate demand that seemed to fall into a deaf universe.

The universe may have seemed deaf but the Creator of it is not. God is not some distant, disinterested cosmic entity. He is near, intimate and listening, beckoning humanity to His sublime love.   

My natural self-absorbed and prideful state prevents me from receiving God’s perfect love or returning a perfect love to Him. It has simply not been within me to receive or give either. As long as I remained as I was, God’s love would have remained incomprehensible to me.  As long as I was guilty of self-idolatry there was no room for His gigantic love or true worship of Him.

While it is true that God accepts us as we are, it is also true that He does not want us to remain as imperfect and spiritually wretched that we are in our natural state. In his wonderfully insightful book, The Problem of Pain, C.S. Lewis put it this way: “To ask that God’s love should be content with us as we are is to ask that God should cease to be God: because He is what He is, His love must, in the nature of things, be impeded and repelled by certain stains in our present character, and because He already loves us He must labour to make us lovable.”

As years of infirmity have passed, my own anguish has revealed new dimensions of the reality that God truly and intimately loves me and wants me to intimately love Him in return. He could not leave me in my natural state. The purifying fire of affliction was/is needed to shatter my ego and illusion of self-sufficiency that blinded me from all but the most basic and superficial spiritual truths. I needed to relinquish ownership of my physical, emotional and spiritual pain to Christ.

I needed to surrender, surrender and surrender again my life to God’s will. When I did this Christ allowed me to unite my suffering and defeat with His suffering and victory over sin and death.  As Pope John Paul told us in his Apostolic Letter Salvifici Doloris, Christ’s suffering, and death, and Resurrection, can save us from the ultimate suffering which is the loss of eternal life.  At the cross Christ achieved our redemption through his suffering.

If I accept that God is a good God of love (and I do) then I must conclude that my pain is necessary. God would not permit it if it is unnecessary. I think I am finally getting an inkling of why my suffering is necessary. My ego and self-idolatry had to be broken in order for the possibility of self-transcendence. The vehicle for that transcendence toward perfection in Christ is suffering.

A 1996 EWTN commentary about Pope John Paul’s Salvifici Doloris stated, “In the cross of Christ not only is the Redemption accomplished through suffering, but also human suffering itself has been redeemed.”  Later the commentary states: “Every man has his own share in the Redemption. Each one is also called to share in that suffering through which the Redemption was accomplished.” In doing so, each sufferer is invited to share in the redemptive suffering of Christ.

The Apostle Paul commented on this in his own life: “I have been crucified with Christ; yet I live no longer I, but Christ lives in me; insofar as I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who has loved me and given himself up for me.” (Galatians 2.20)

This is done by uniting our suffering with Christ’s suffering through personal surrender to Him and offering our pain as a sacrifice to further Christ’s witness, content with whatever that might mean here on earth. In heaven I shall finally comprehend the sublimity of God’s divine love.

 

Mark

A CHILD AND A TORNADO TAUGHT ME ABOUT TRUST

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." (Matthew 19.14) Small children have taught me some of my greatest spiritual lessons -- particularly in areas of trust, accepting God at His Word. C.S. Lewis once commented that small children have pure and momentous spiritual experiences as any undergone later in life. He was right. From our own childhoods we know this to be true.

This past year I was diagnosed with cancer. My five year old granddaughter prayed for me with such intensity. It was touching and meant a great deal to me to know her prayers to God preceded me as I underwent treatment. Later I told her how important her prayers were. She seemed to think I was stated the obvious. After all, she took my predicament to God and He answered her prayers. Isn't that why we pray, Grandpa?" Her simple faith shamed me. I should not have been surprised, her dad is my son.

When he was eight years old, the second deadliest tornado in Canadian history churned past us in a destructive path that claimed 29 lives near Edmonton on July 31st 1987. As we watched the vortex coming in its unpredictable zig-zag course, my son looked up at me and asked, "Are we going to die, dad?" I always kept a policy of being honest with my children (that's what I expected from them). I responded by saying "I don't know." My little boy said the most profound thing: "If we're going to die, can we die in God's house?" We looked at each other in a moment that stood still: I said, "That is a great place to die."

We went to the church and waited for whatever was going to happened. The storm passed leaving a terrible swath of destruction and death along the east end of Edmonton, but the church was unharmed.

My wife's mother (Grandma Dorothy) was visiting a teenage mother and her new baby at a trailer park when the tornado struck; it sent the trailer end over end -- killing the teen mother. Dorothy briefly lost consciousness. When she awoke under a mountain of debris -- that had  a mobile home and few seconds earlier -- she was miraculously holding the crying but unharmed infant.  The trailer park looked like a war zone.

(I know, I know. Dorothy and a tornado sounds a little like The Wizard of Oz.) Be that as it may, the story is true. On the 20th anniversary of the Edmonton tornado, the local news media brought Dorothy and the grown up "baby" together for photographs and a story of survival.

Dorothy lives in a nursing home now, the young woman probably has her own children. My son is married and has a family.  Life goes on.

Occasionally I think of July 31st 1987, and remember how a eight year old boy taught me a lesson about trusting God in the threat of death.  Christ's words ring true: "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

I always feel closer to God when I am in the presence of small children.

Mark

MUSLIMS ARE PERSECUTING CHRISTIANS !

Jesus said, "Indeed, an hour is coming when those who kill you will think that by doing so they are offering worship to God. And they do this because they have not known the Father or me. But I have said these things to you so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you about them." (John 16:1-4)

I have been hearing about Christians being persecuted and killed by Muslims in areas like Somalia, Egypt, Nigeria, India and Iran ... and I think of these words of Christ. (Although incomplete, for more of a list see http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/Pages/ChristianAttacks.htm 

Christians are the most persecuted religious group in the world. We in North America must not think we are immune. 

By comparison, the petty attacks by liberal media and entertainment elite or, in Canada, provincial and federal human rights inquisitions, are nothing.

Christians should not be surprised when their time of persecution comes. As Christ himself said: "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. ...Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also." (John 15.18 and 20.)


Regardless of our circumstances, we must keep our eyes on Christ and our hearts open to the leading of the Holy Spirit, and never deny Him: rejoice and be glad, great is your reward in heaven.



 

 

 

Fellow Christians, keep our brothers and sisters in Christ in your prayers.

 

Mark

THERE IS BEAUTY IN THE WORLD

Kermit Gosnell

The complementary blog to this one is http://humanlifematters.org. If you go to it you will find a posting entitled, “ABORTIONIST DR. KERMIT GOSNELL’S BARBARITY IS NOT UNIQUE”. It chronicles the murders of infants born alive after botched abortions; they were then killed by Kermit Gosnell, or his staff, at his Philadelphia clinic which specialized in 2nd and 3rd trimester abortions. The wickedness is beyond comprehension!

During my 30 years of pro-Life work, I have heard of other abortionists commiting similar atrocities. But then, all abortion is atrocious. Someone once asked me how I can keep up my spirits for Life issues in the midst of a culture that tolerates this sort of outrage or the increasing acceptance of euthanasia and assisted suicide? Despite the darkness around me, I still can see light, beauty and human goodness.

The ancient Roman orator and philosopher, Cicero (106 B.C-43 B.C.) once said "While there is life, there is hope". Without life, hope dies. I choose to hope in life and the Giver of life. All else is meaningless to me now.

Yes, there is ugliness and darkness in the world, but there is also beauty and Light all around us that every life is entitled to experience and enjoy.




"Through him (Christ) all things were made; without him nothing was made that was made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it." (John 1.3-5.).

There is great beauty in the world. Click the image below and see.

Mark

 

 

GOD WILL WIPE AWAY EVERY TEAR

The second reading for the April 21^st Mass was from the 7^th chapter of Revelation.

In John’s divine vision, he sees a great multitude of martyrs dressed in white standing before the throne of the Lamb [Christ]. John tells us they are martyrs who come out of the great ordeal. Some translations use the word distress or tribulation rather than ordeal.  A great tribulation was being experienced by the Church in John’s day (see Acts 2.10 and Acts 14.22).  It refers, in part, to “the time of trial that is going to come to the whole world” (Revelation 3.10) Some biblical scholars believe it also applies to the great tribulation predicted by Daniel 12.1., and mentioned by Christ in Matthew 24.21.

At any rate, in John’s divine vision there is a great throng of saints before the throne of the Lamb.  They worship God continually. Their robes are washed in the blood of the Lamb and made white.  We read:

“They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat; for the Lamb at the centre of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”

Christ will lead those who followed him in this life. The reference to shelter and water reminds me of the beloved 23^rd Psalm.

It has comforted multitudes of believers throughout the ages. In the midst of tribulations, suffering, tears and sorrow troubled people have found comfort in this Psalm. It provides a spiritual shelter from the trials of earthly life, as though resting beside quiet waters.  I like to imagine the metaphor is akin to the water of life mentioned in the reading where Christ himself will take you and me.

The imagery is other-worldly. We are limited in our spiritual understanding. The Apostle Paul spoke of this in his immortal Chapter on love (1 Corinthians 13): “At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially, then I shall know fully, as I am fully known.”

Despite the indistinctness of our spiritual vision (the mirror is so clouded) we are assured that with Christ we will know. Our unanswerable questions that break out hearts in the here and now will finally be answered and we shall understand why our hearts needed to break. 

There will be no more deprivation or suffering, the scorching fire of incurable and chronic disease will cease. Our tears will be wiped away by God.

The dark nights of my life in this world will pass away. The dawn and promise of the next world will be forever.  The full joy of what I will be is yet to be revealed and no one will be able to take my joy from me.  This gives me courage to carry on toward the Celestial City.   

The Third reading of the Mass touched on the continuing promise of Christ that begins in this world and meets its completion in heaven for those who love and know him.

Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.” He told us that what God has given to Him is greater than all else. Christ and the Father are one.  Christ said he will give his sheep eternal life and it will never be taken away.  We will be finally be whole, we shall be fully conformed to his image; our joy will be complete and permanent.

The Mass spoke so eloquently to me of those things that give the hope that lies deep within me despite disease, disability and sickness. In the responsorial psalm we sang in unison: “We are his people; the sheep of his pasture.” My heart soared.

And then, as in every Mass, came the blessed  Eucharist ─ “the source and summit of the Christian life.” I was reminded again of our Lord’s words: “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6.54) Here is the great promise of the cross that God gives to humanity. By faith in his Son and what He did at Calvary on our behalf, our sins are washed away. Like the great multitude of martyrs in St. John’s vision, the spiritual robes of our lives can be washed in the blood of the Lamb and made white as snow.

Mark

THE COMFORTER COMFORTS, THE COUNSELLOR COUNSELS

Saying goodbye to a grandson

Some Goodbyes hurt so much. My heart aches to be separated from my family. For instance, when my grandchildren come to visit, my heart soars with delight, ... but when they leave I am filled with a deep sadness.

I've heard some grandparents jokingly quip: "It's good to see the grand kids come but it's good to see them go too." I'm not one of those grandparents. I'm always sad to be separated from my grandchildren. My heart yearns to be with them but I know that cannot be. They have their lives to live somewhere else.

Between visits, I go about my daily life but there is always a vague longing, a subtle sense that something someone is missing. As my wife has often said, "Love is the source of life's greatest ecstasies but also life's greatest agonies." And so it is.

The horrible alternative is to live without love and that would be intolerable. People have actually died for lack of love. Their death certificates should have said, "Cause of death: unloved."

I have never suffered from being unloved. I've been loved my whole life -- first by God beginning the night I was conceived (cf. Psalm 139.13-16), then by loving Christian parents, and later I have loved and been loved by my wife and children.

Children grew up and moved away and I missed them. They got married and had their own children, and that's as it should be. Then this grandfather's heartstrings connected with grandchildren -- the bonds of love deepen with each passing day. When they go away I long to see them again. When they are with me I adore the ground their feet stand on. 

But the fear of another goodbye lurks somewhere within me. And then they do leave and the heartache begins anew. At the end of that sad day I say my evening prayers and get into bed. His presence comforts me. Yes, Christ is with me. 

In the 14th Chapter of John Christ says, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me." (verse 1) and a few verses later, He says "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you." And so He does.

The Comforter comforts, the Counsellor counsels (John 14.16-17).

Mark

 
 

THE NATIONAL CATHOLIC REPORTER, CAPITAL PUNISHMENT AND "BUNDLES OF CELLS"

The U.S based National Catholic Reporter recently published a commentary under the title “Status of abortion, death penalty in Catholic teaching makes little sense.” Really? Why would a  Catholic newspaper publish this Op-Ed piece? It was written by Presbyterian Bill Tammeus who took issue with the Catholic Church and its position against abortion in comparison to its opposition to the death penalty.



Bill Tammeus

Mr. Tammeus said, “In the case of prisoners on death row, we have human beings who have been around for years, having proved viable outside the womb .... By contrast, in the matter of abortion, we have a bundle of cells that may one day be born.” He goes on to assert that learned people “disagree on the question of whether and when those cells constitute a legally protected person.”

Catholic teaching recognizes society’s right to impose the death penalty in extreme cases for its own protection. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “... the traditional teaching of the Church has acknowledged as well-founded the right and duty of legitimate public authority to punish malefactors by means of penalties commensurate with the gravity of the crime, not excluding, in cases of extreme gravity, the death penalty.” (2266) Having acknowledged this, the Catechism then states its preference for bloodless means of punishment for the common good of society and “conformity to the dignity of the human person.” (2267)

On the matter of abortion, Bill Tammeus shows a woeful ignorance of embryology. A “bundle of cells”? Again, why would a Catholic newspaper publish such uninformed drivel? Does Bill Tammeus not know that biology and medicine proved long ago that prenatal life is a separate human being? After reading this Tammeus’ commentary, I contacted the renowned American molecular biologist Dr. Dianne Irving of Bethesda, Maryland. She said:

Dr. Dianne Irving

“The human embryo/fetus at any stage of prenatal development is an organism, an already existing human being -- not a mere “bunch of cells”. Bill Tammeus is obviously grossly ignorant of the long-known objective scientific facts of human embryology. It has been internationally acknowledged for over a hundred years that in sexual reproduction the new human being begins to exist as a single-cell organism at the beginning of the process of fertilization.”

The Catholic Church has opposed abortion since the first century. This has not changed and remains unchangeable (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2271); I doubt that will change because of an ill-informed Presbyterian.

The simple fact is that the Catholic Church does not hold a hierarchy of human rights or worthiness.  This is different from the truth that not all moral issues are equal. During the 2004 U.S. Presidential election, then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger wrote a memorandum to American Cardinal McCarrick of Washington DC, under the heading  “Worthiness to Receive Holy communion: General Principles”. In that correspondence, Cardinal Ratzinger dealt with these issues. He said, in part:

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger

“... The Church teaches that abortion or euthanasia is a grave sin. The Encyclical Letter Evangelium Vitae, with reference to judicial decisions or civil laws that authorize or promote abortion or euthanasia, states that there is a “grave and clear obligation to oppose them ... .”

Cardinal Ratzinger’s memorandum later stated:

“Not all moral issues have the same moral weight as abortion and euthanasia. For example, if a Catholic were to be at odds with the Holy Father on the application of capital punishment or on the decision to wage war, he would not for that reason be considered unworthy to present himself to receive Holy Communion.”

“There may be,” he declared, “a legitimate diversity of opinion even among Catholics about waging war and applying the death penalty, but not, however, with regard to abortion and euthanasia.”

When it comes to capital punishment and abortion, only abortion is inherently wrong because it destroyed innocent life.

On the matter of justice, I understand there are individuals who are so damaged and dangerous that they must be removed from society. Perhaps they are so damaged they cannot be restored (barring a dramatic healing touch from Christ). Still, the Church believes in the inherent dignity of every human person as a bearer of God’s image. There is no human offence so vile that it lies outside God’s mercy, but neither is there any unborn child so insignificant that it is unworthy of love, life and protection.  We must never dehumanize others by our words or deeds.

No life is just a “bundle of cells”.  No man sinks beneath his humanity because of his criminal deeds.  As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to show love and concern for them – just as Christ showed love and concern for us.


Mark