This Sunday, we will hear the Passion of the Lord read in full. What thoughts should this bring to our spiritual lives? Should we feel depressed or be sad? Or should we accept the obvious truth that suffering has always been a mystery to our race. Instead of devising various ways to explain it away, or make it seem good, we should see it for what it is, a part of every person's life.
I think we should stop trying to explain suffering, and instead realize it can hold meaning. We tend to color suffering, explain it as either a night, or darkness, or even the color black. But such comparisons do not ease pain. Instead of seeking the "why" of suffering, we should instead look for the grace in it. As Viktor Frankl writes in his book, Man's Search for Meaning, If there is a meaning in life at all, then there must be a meaning in suffering (67).
How do we find that meaning? We can start by realizing that Jesus, in his passion, showed us how to conquer not only pain, but death itself. By believing in God's power to bring good from anything we suffer, we can actually strip pain of its evil, of its darkness, of its night. Then we can say with Paul, "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" (1 Corinthians 15:54-55). What power!
How we accept our vicissitudes in life have a lot to do with how we build our character. We must take stock of this truth. We must awaken our soul to its magnificence. We must not give up when the way becomes steep or difficult. For wondrous things happen to those who wait on the Lord with faith, believing not only that all things are possible, but that God can bring good out of anything, regardless of its color.
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