We all go through pain one way or another in this lifetime…physically, emotionally/mentally, and spiritually. I know when I’m struggling with one of those types of pain, my first reactions might be to run, fight it, fix whatever the problem is, or ask, “Why me?” Many of us just want to remove the pain while suffering or avoid it, and sometimes in anyway possible. Unfortunately, this can lead to unhealthy habits, vices, sin, additional suffering etc. If you are suffering right now, I am asking you NOT to fight it but to embrace it. There is beauty in suffering as it can align us with Jesus.
“The greater the struggle, the more glorious the triumph.”
This quote is also in a short video titled “Butterfly Circus” by Nick Vujicic. I highly recommend watching that video but let’s reflect on that quote for a minute.
The greatest good that ever came to the human world was from Jesus suffering and dying on the cross…what an act of love! If He is an example to us on how to love, shouldn’t we try to follow that example? In Matthew 16:24, Jesus says: “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?”
What, take up our cross? No thank you, I’d rather put mine down and run the other way! Many of us have tried that before but we all know that fighting just makes it worse (think Jonah). If we embrace it, then it’s bearable and can even be joyful. Saint Chiara Luce Badano is a beautiful example to all of us including teenagers on how to be joyful while suffering. Does that mean not getting treated for a disease or injury? No, what it does mean is to accept that cross with love if it’s God’s will. OK, so how do we do that?
St. John Vianney explains…“There are two ways of suffering — to suffer with love, and to suffer without love…..If we love God, we should love crosses, we should wish for them, we should take pleasure in them. . . . We should be happy to be able to suffer for the love of Him who lovingly suffered for us. Of what do we complain?…Only we must love while we suffer, and suffer while we love….Our greatest cross is the fear of crosses”.
What an honor it is to suffer for and with Jesus. Let’s eliminate the fear and embrace our cross.
