Why Do We Suffer?

James 1:1-11

Today's reading comes from the Letter of James. If you don't know, the Letter of James is a small letter sandwiched in between the Letter to the Hebrews and First Peter, if you care to check it out. Of all the books of the Bible (save the Gospels, themselves), I love the Letter of James. I love it for its simplicity, and I love it for the wealth of answers to some of life's most challenging questions.

One of the important questions answered in this passage is-- why do we suffer?

We learn from this passage from James that we suffer because in suffering we are tested. A test of how we perceive a situation. A test of how we react to a situation. A test of how we survive a situation.

I am sure that I speak for many of us when I say that some of my tests have been whoppers. Truth be told, I have probably failed more of them than I have passed. But (to use a school analogy), in this life, the grades do not matter. What matters is that we (1) come to class, (2) pay attention to the teacher, and (3) keep doing our homework.

This means that in life-- when your car breaks down, you don't lose your cool and scream at your family. This means that when your wife gets sick, you don't curse God. This means that when someone in your life fails you, you don't write them off as unimportant. Just think of all of the many ways that we suffer and are tested everyday.

Thank God for the Suffering.

Now, thank God because if we were not given these challenges (as unpleasant and difficult as they sometimes are) we would never have the opportunity to challenge our faith. Why would want to challenge our faith, you ask? Two good reasons: (1) to know that we have some, and (2) because a tested faith produces perseverance and makes us stronger.

Think about this. For most of us, when do we call God the loudest? We call on Him when we are in trouble. Truth is, for most of us, it is easy to get caught up in the world and our daily life and lose sight of what is even more real-- but harder to see.

Our life here is a journey with a series of tests. Each test moves us closer or farther away from God-- we chose. What the Letter of James tells us to do is simple: ask God for Wisdom and Faith because there is redemptive power in suffering.

The Things We Rather Not Hear

Mk 7:31-37

This Gospel reading (meant for Friday, February 12) tells the story of when Jesus miraculously cures a deaf and speech-impaired man and enables him to speak clearly. Jesus pulls the man aside and performs the miracle by placing his finger in the man's ear and placing his own spittal on the man's tongue. Jesus asks, as He usually does, for the man to keep quiet about the incident. But as we know, news of the miraculous does not stay quiet for long.

It is easy put aside the Truth when we claim we can't hear it.

Think of the incredible compassion of Jesus in this situation. The sensitivity expressed in pulling the man aside showed that God had empathy for the man's plight. St. Gregory offers insight on the significance of Jesus using his finger to effectuate the cure of deafness. St. Gregory suggest s that the Spirit of God is called the "finger." In this experience, Jesus has opened the soul of the man through a gift of the Holy Spirit. By using His own spittal, Jesus connects personally with the man in a very intimate expression of solidarity.

This miracle was not only intended for the redemption of this poor man. It was also intended for us. Deaf or not, centuries later, we are meant to hear the healing message of the Holy Spirit.

If we allow ourselves to listen closely, there are things in our own life that are very uncomfortable to hear. But if we remember to compassion and solidarity offered by Our Lord, the Holy Spirit can heal us-- and perhaps bless us with the grace to tell about it.

Touching a Tassel - Suffering Brings Us Closer to God

Mk 6: 53-56

Today's Gospel reading tells a simple story about Jesus and the disciples being ambushed by throngs of desperate and suffering people. All these people wanted was an end to their suffering. They were looking for miracles-- looking for hope. They had heard of this miracle worker and trusted that just touching the tassel of his cloak would be enough to provide a cure.

Did they understand that this miracle-worker, Jesus, was really God? I am sure that they didn't. Did they understand that he was the promised Messiah? Maybe? Did they understand that the cure he was offering was much more than simply the curing of the body? Only God really knows the answer to that one.

Are we so very different in our day?

During Holy Week last year (2009), our five year old daughter mysteriously contracted a deadly virus that nearly killed her. She was hospitalized for almost half a year. As difficult as this experience was for our daughter and our entire family, I can say for certain that there is redemptive power in the suffering.

There is something remarkably powerful about the selfless prayers offered for a little child. We were the recipients of prayers and kindnesses from complete strangers and even those we knew who we never imagined gave thought to God. It seems like there is something in human nature that compels us toward God, whether we know it or not, especially in times of trouble or despair.

One of the greatest graces I have ever received was the grace needed to accept that our daughter was in God's care. I believe that this was the blessing given in recognition that our vigils, prayers and sacrifices had reached the tassels of God's cloak.

Not only was our daughter healed, but we all continue to heal-- both spirit and body.