Reflections on suffering: 5th Sunday of Ordinary Time

(Listen to this homily here).

           This morning I had the honor of presiding at Sr. Ingrid Luukkonen’s funeral at the St. Scholastica monastery.  While I didn’t ever work with here at St. Thomas Aquinas, I did meet her and see her during my two years in Duluth.  For those of you who don’t know, Sr. Ingrid spent many years working here and has had a profound impact on our parish.

            I told the Sisters something I have mentioned here on a number of occasions—I am so proud of how we reach out to the poor, elderly, homebound and sick.  Much of this comes from Sr. Ingrid’s many years forging relationships with men and women who otherwise would have been left out.  I am grateful for her work and its continued impact today because so many of you have carried on this great mission.

            Sr. Ingrid’s basic mission: walk with the suffering.

            This evening we see one of the greatest questions of all time—why do people suffer?—embodied in the person of Job.  The whole book of Job is devoted to this single question.

            This question is one of the greatest obstacles for some in believing in a God at all.  After all, they reason, why would an all powerful, all good and all loving God allow someone to experience evil?

The book of Job begins in heaven.  God admires His faithful servant and affirms Job to the Adversary (Satan).  Satan responds that everything was going well for Job, but if he faced calamity this would change.  God allowed the Adversary to take away Job’s wealth, health and family.

            The rest of the book features a cycles of conversation between Job and three of his so-called friends.  Job asks why he is suffering, thinking himself righteous.  His friends insist that he has sinned (as it was common to attribute suffering to sinfulness at this period in the Old Testament).

            Near the end of the book, God enters the conversation.  I love the line He utters to Job: “Gird up your loins like a man!”  Imagine God’s booming voice to Job!  It’s as if God is saying “Who are you again?  You’re a little man.  I am God.  Where were you when I created the stars?  Were you there when I made the sky?  The wind?” 

            The question about Job’s affliction is left a mystery—and the basic question of why bad stuff happens to us remains a mystery.  That stinks!

            Here is a visual I’d like to share that have helped me process the reality of suffering.  Imagine you read one paragraph from the Lord of the Rings trilogy.  It happens that you read about when Samwise and Frodo got kidnapped.  They are bound and face imprisonment and appear to fail in their mission.  If this was all you read, it would seem utterly pointless.  Keep reading!  Or, if you are a movie-buff, keep watching the film!  What seemed like failure turned out to be a small blip on the greater path Sam and Frodo took.

            Or picture looking at an ugly, small black rock.  It looks dull, even sad.  Now visualize backing up a number of steps to see where this pebble is placed—it is among a number of other rocks that, when seen from a distance, make a mosaic of the face of Jesus. 

            Now these images aren’t meant to explain away trials and tribulations, but may help in understanding there is a lot we simply can’t understand or see while on earth.

            Finally, I want you to be aware of two facts with respect to human suffering.  The first—God does not cause suffering.  There is a big difference between saying God causes something and God allowing it.  While in His mysterious way God allows us to suffer, He doesn’t want us to be in pain, depressed, hurt or terminal illness.  He doesn’t want death, tragedy, suicide, cancer or car accidents.  He made us to be happy, healthy and holy and He desires these gifts more than we do.

            Second—do you know what the word compassion literally means?  It comes from two Latin words—cum (with) and passio (suffer)—and means suffer with.  God sent His son Jesus Christ to suffer with us.  We heard in our Gospel this evening that Jesus healed Simon’s mother-in-law from her infirmity.  Many of the sick came to him and were healed.

            Yet more than his miraculous healings, Jesus actually suffered with and for us.  He was beaten, mocked and crucified.  He cried out on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”  What a gut wrenching and honest prayer.  (Actually, Jesus quoted Psalm 22 which begins with a confused exclamation and ends with steadfast hope in God.  It is a great place to turn while undergoing traumatic events).  He died.  Jesus knows everything we suffer because he carried his cross and had (and still has) compassion for us. 

            While the reasons for pain, agony, death and sorrow will always remain a mystery here on earth, remember that God does not cause suffering.  On the contrary, God sent Jesus to suffer with us and we may have great hope even in the most devastating events we face.