The Son of Man must undergo great suffering
Saturday 11th September 2021
The age old problem of why people suffer has puzzled us down the centuries and has never been satisfactorily resolved. Nobody wants to suffer. We prefer to avoid the hard things in life. All of us are very much people of this world in the way we crave pleasure and comfort. Peter spoke for everyone when he objected to what Christ said about suffering, rejection and death for it ran contrary to his expectations as it does to ours (Mark 8:27-35).
In a world gone wrong sooner or later, we are all involved in suffering. It may take different forms. Jesus never explained why we have to suffer nor did He rid the world of suffering. What He did was to give suffering meaning and value by filling it with His presence. In His life He showed us the proper approach to suffering and how to put the crosses that come our way to good use. Our Lord suffered so much Himself that he has sympathy for us in the trials that come into our pilgrimage. He encourages us to shoulder our crosses and follow in His footsteps. The only sure promise we have is that every cross, no matter how burdensome and difficult, if united with Christ’s cross becomes meaningful and a source of salvation for ourselves and each other. Crosses become our ladders that lead to heaven. Jesus makes it clear that there is a high cost involved in being one of His people. Suffering is the blood and tears of life. The cross is not an invitation to lead a miserable life but is a call to hope in the face of those sufferings which are the normal part of human life. We must accept that God’s ways of doing things can run contrary to our expectations. His teaching is for real life and real life can be difficult.
Please do stay well and safe.
God bless you all.
Fr. Arsenio