In the last post, we discussed the sufferings of Our Lord
Jesus Christ. His suffering liberated us
from sin. Sin, we have said, is the cause of our own suffering. Through Christ's own suffering and death, however, we are no longer losers in the battle against sin, suffering, and death, but victors. We still fight the battle now, and will continue
to do so, but if we remain faithful to God’s commands, obey the promptings of
the Holy Spirit, and receive the Sacraments regularly, we know suffering and death,
even though we continue to experience both, will not have the last word in our lives.
So if the suffering of Christ did its job, and was
sufficient to win to free us from sin, then how do we understand this curious passage
from Saint Paul’s letter to the Colossians, in which it appears to say there
was something lacking in the
suffering of Christ?
I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am
completing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body,
that is, the church. (Colossians 1:24)
Christ’s suffering is again complete, and all
that is necessary for the redemption of mankind. So how can the Apostle imply something is lacking?
The basic answer is this: Christ
freely chose to allow human suffering to be part of the redemptive plan. Saint John Paul II wrote a beautiful apostolic letter on
suffering, Salvifici Doloris (Christian
Meaning of Human Suffering). In it,
he had this to say regarding this Scripture passage quoted above. Please read carefully:
Does this mean that the Redemption achieved by Christ is not complete?
No. It only means that the
Redemption, accomplished through satisfactory love, remains always open to all love expressed in human suffering. In this
dimension—the dimension of love—the Redemption which has already been
completely accomplished is, in a certain sense, constantly being accomplished.
Christ achieved the Redemption completely and to the very limits but at the
same time he did not bring it to a close. In this redemptive suffering, through
which the Redemption of the world was accomplished, Christ opened himself from
the beginning to every human suffering and constantly does so. Yes, it seems to
be part of the very essence of
Christ's redemptive suffering that this suffering requires to be
unceasingly completed.
Thus, with this openness to every human suffering, Christ has
accomplished the world's Redemption through his own suffering. For, at the same
time, this Redemption, even though it was completely achieved by Christ's suffering,
lives on and in its own special way develops in the history of man. It lives
and develops as the body of Christ, the Church, and in this dimension every
human suffering, by reason of the loving union with Christ, completes the
suffering of Christ.
Faith in sharing in the suffering of Christ brings with it the interior
certainty that the suffering person "completes what is lacking in Christ's
afflictions"; the certainty that in the spiritual dimension of the work of
Redemption he is serving, like
Christ, the salvation of his brothers
and sisters. Therefore he is carrying out an irreplaceable service.
If you can only take away one point in this entire series about
suffering it is this:
Through the will
and grace of Christ, human suffering has
a redemptive quality to it. If we suffer as members of Christ’s body, our
suffering can be used to merit salvation for us, and for our loved ones. Christ
freely allows us to share in the experience of suffering for our good, and the good of those
he loves. It is not just his
suffering that redeems us; in a very well way, our own suffering can redeem. John Paul II says: Those who share in the sufferings
of Christ preserve in their own sufferings a very special particle of the infinite treasure of the world's
Redemption, and can share this treasure with others.
So there is an important lesson for us here: When we suffer, let us not turn inward. Let us make this suffering about God, and
others. Despite our sufferings, we know we will be OK in the end, we know we have been
redeemed by the blood of Christ, and granted eternal life through his Resurrection. Despite all that are we going
through, we know that in the end, suffering and death do not have the final
word in our lives. But here is the question we must ask : do others we know and love also know that? If not, can the way we handle our suffering
be a teachable moment? Christ has, in
the mystery of Divine Providence, has allowed our human suffering to be part of
the redemption of all mankind. If that
is the case, should we not embrace suffering with a hopeful attitude?
The picture that is with this post is of Paul in prison for preaching the Gospel. He was later killed for his beliefs. Let us be able to say with this Saint: We boast in our sufferings, knowing that
suffering produces endurance, and
endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because
God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has
been given to us (Romans 5:3-5)
Before this series closes, we will share a few more insights
from Saint John Paul II’s apostolic letter.
In the next post, however, we will discuss the terrible suffering that
awaits us if we refuse Christ. I am
referring to the sufferings in hell.
Meditating on that suffering that will help put our experience of
suffering here on Earth in perspective.
Joseph, head of the Holy Family, pray for us.
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