Lets Discuss Suffering - Its not the evil we think it is!

   (for no one suffered more than the Son of God Himself, more than His Blessed Mother)

 So I have been learning a lot about suffering. I have been having a lot of hard times thinking about the people I love who aren't living the lives they should and who do not have God in their lives. In the book I read The Boy who met Jesus, Jesus says that people can live a good life all their lives but if they do not love God or have God in their lives they have no place in heaven.

   I am not scared for myself when the end of days comes, I will die for Jesus tomorrow if it came to it. I am mostly scared for the people that I love so much, I am afraid that I will not have enough time to save and help the souls of the people I love and care for so much. I cannot go preaching and trying to help people who do not want to hear or talk to me. It has been one of the most painful burdens I have ever witnessed.

   If I could suffer for other people in order to help save their souls I would. I have told God that, if it would be His will, I will suffer for the ones I love, so that they may have a chance in heaven. If they won't give me the time of day or even think about putting God in their lives, then maybe I can take some of their sufferings and bear them for them.

    Once I decided this and I told God that I would, I knew God wanted me to research the real meaning behind suffering, and I had a devotional book that has a whole section on suffering and how to learn to deal with it, and how it is something that we all must go through. It is actually a great blessing from God. He was pushing me to read this section in my book. He always points me to what I need to read next. I love that, because I want to read a certain book and God tells me to read something else, and it turns out to be exactly the answers to my questions and what I need to read! I LOVE IT! And I never knew that suffering could be something wonderful. So I am going to touch on that today.

     I am going to write you about suffering why its important, how to deal with it, and how to use it for happiness.

SUFFERING

How to Make the Greatest Evil in

Our Lives Our Greatest Happiness

by Fr. Paul O' Sullivan, O.P.

 

     Suffering is the great problem of human life. We all have to suffer. Sometimes small sorrows, sometimes greater ones fall to our share. We shall now tell our readers how to avoid much  of this suffering and how to derive great benefits from every suffering we may have to bear.

    The reason why suffering appears so hard is that first of all, we are not taught what suffering is. Secondly, we are not taught how to bear it. Thirdly, we are not taught the priceless value of suffering. This is due to the incomprehensible neglect on the part of our teachers.

    It is surprising how easily some people bear great sufferings; whereas, others get excited even at the smallest trouble. The simple reason is that some have been taught all about suffering; others have not.

 

SUFFERING IS NOT THE EVIL

WE THINK IT IS 

 

     First of all, then, suffering is not simply an evil, for no one suffered more than the Son of God Himself, more than His Blessed Mother or more than the Saints. Every suffering comes from God. It may appear to come to us by chance or accident or from someone else, but in reality, every suffering comes to us from God. Nothing happens to us without His wish or permission. Not even a hair falls from our heads without His consent.

     Why does God allow us to suffer? Simply because He is asking us to take a little share in His Passion. What appears to come by chance or from someone else always comes because God allows it. Every act in our Lords Life was a lesson for us. The greatest act in His life was His Passion. This, then, is the greatest lesson for us. It teaches us that we to must suffer.

    God suffered all the dreadful pains of His Passion for each one of us. How can we refuse to suffer a little for love of Him?

 

SUFFERING IS THE GOLD

IN OUR LIVES

 

    Secondly, if we accept the suffering He sends us and offer them in union with His sufferings, we receive the greatest rewards. Five minutes suffering borne for love of Jesus is of greater value to us than years and years of pleasure and joy. The Saints tell us that if we patiently bear our sufferings, we merit the crown of martyrdom.

     Moreover, suffering borne patiently brings out all that is good in us. Those who have suffered are usually the most charming people.

     If we bear these facts clearly in mind, it certainly becomes much easier to suffer.

 

GOD ALWAYS GIVES STRENGTH TO

BEAR OUR SUFFEREINGS

 

    Thirdly, when God gives us any suffering, He always gives us strength to bear it, if we only ask Him. Many instead of asking for His help, get excited and revolt. It is this excitement and impatience that really makes suffering hard to bear.

    Consider that we are now speaking of all suffering even the most trifling ones. All of us have little troubles, pains, disappointments, every day of our lives. All these, if borne for love of God, obtain for us, as we have said, the greatest rewards.

 

 

HOW TO BEAR SUFFERING

 

    Even the greater sufferings that may fall to our share from time to time become easy to bear if we accept them with serenity and patience. What really makes suffering difficult to bear is our own impatience, our revolt, our refusal to accept it. This irritation increases our sufferings a hundredfold and, besides, robs us of all the merit we could have gained thereby.

    We see some people pass through a tempest of suffering with the greatest calm and serenity;  whereas, others get irritated at the slightest annoyance or disappointment. We can all learn this calm and patience. It is the secret of happiness. An eminent physician, in a conference which he gave to distinguished scientists and fellow doctors, told them that he owed all his great success in life to the simple fact that he had corrected his habit of impatience and annoyance, which had been destroying all his energy and activity.

    Everyone, we repeat, without exception, can learn this calm and serenity.

 

PENANCE

 

    We must all do penance for our sins. If we do not, we shall have long years of suffering in the awful fires of Purgatory. This fire is just the same as the fire of Hell.

     Now, if we offer our sufferings the very little ones as well as the greater one - in union with the sufferings of Jesus Christ, we are doing the easiest and best penance we can perform. We may thus deliver ourselves entirely from Purgatory, while at the same time gaining the greatest graces and blessings.

 

 Let us remember clearly that:

1. Sufferings come from God for our benefit.
2. When we are in the state of grace, we derive immense merit from every suffering borne patiently, even the little sufferings of our daily lives.
3. God will give us abundant strength to bear our sufferings if we only ask Him.
4. If we bear our sufferings patiently, they lose their sting and bitterness.
5. Above all, every suffering is a share in the Passion of Our Lord.
6. By our sufferings we can free ourselves in great part, or entirely, from the pains of Purgatory.
7. By bearing our sufferings patiently, we win the glorious crown of martyrdom.

Of course, we may do all in our power to avoid or lessen our sufferings, but we cannot avoid all suffering. Therefore, it is clearly necessary for us to learn how to bear them.

   In a word, we must understand clearly that if we remain calm, serene and patient, suffering loses all its sting, but the moment we get excited, the smallest suffering increases a hundredfold.

   It is just as if we had a sore arm or leg and rubbed it violently; it would become irritated and painful; whereas, if we touch it gently, we sooth the irritation.

   We suffer from ill-health, from pains, headaches, rheumatism, arthritis, from accidents, from enemies. We may have financial difficulties. Some suffer for weeks in their homes, some in hospitals or nursing homes. In a word, we are in a vale of tears. Almighty God could have saved us from all suffering, but He did not do so because He knows in His infinite goodness that suffering is good for us.