A Few Words on Christian Suffering

All of last week I was focused on suffering.  I might have been in that place anyway, because of a death in our parish of a young woman, after a long struggle with cancer.  But what caused me to think about it repeatedly was the second reading from this past Sunday's scriptures, which mentioned suffering, even though it seemed to be an afterthought within the reading.  Somehow it stayed with me all week, and this homily was what resulted.

I couldn't find any place to bring it in -- so I didn't -- but one thing I thought about was the suicide rate of retuning veterans.  What a great sadness!  These (mostly) young men, having given prime time in their lives, for us, wind up taking their own lives.  I also ran across a really nice editorial about Joe Biden, who spoke very frankly about that situation.  You can read the editorial by following this link:  http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2018335597_gerson02.html

Here is my homily.  If you're not from St. Bridget, you might find it hard to understand the meaning/power of that last section....

Trinity Sunday, cycle B, 6/3/12

Good morning. It’s good to be here with you this morning.

This is the feast of Trinity Sunday, which always takes place on the first Sunday of Pentecost, and our readings today contain various references to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It’s a feast day that almost begs for some kind of theological homily. But something from our second Reading today caught my attention -- all week, in fact -- and I’d like to share some thoughts with you about it. In this short massage Paul refers to God, the Spirit, and Jesus, all three, that’s one of the reasons it is chosen for today’s feast; and he writes: “The Spirit … bears witness … that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.” But then the passage adds something else. It’s so briefly stated in our passage today that one might almost think that Paul was just slipping it in but didn’t want us to notice. Paul writes: “heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him, so that we may also be glorified with him.” In other words, suffering with Christ is linked to being children of God and joint heirs with Christ. Again, Paul seems to slip this in, but that’s only because our passage omits this next sentence: “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing to the glory about to be revealed to us.” So you see – it really is meant to be about suffering…

... Suffering with Christ! Suffering usually brings to mind physical pain, but suffering may also include isolation, abandonment, impoverishment, grief, depression. It’s counterintuitive, isn’t it, to think that suffering is a way to God’s glory? It’s only natural to try to avoid suffering, and to try to keep the ones we love from suffering. But notice, the words were “suffering with,” and not just “suffering.” That can mean that in those times in our lives when we suffer, we can remember that Jesus suffered first, for us, and we can then seek to join ourselves and our sufferings to his. That’s easier said than done, but I remember well from my childhood, when I would fall or get hurt in some way, my mom would comfort me, and then she would gently urge me to “offer it up.” Did anyone else here receive that message growing up? Actually, what she said was “offer it for the poor souls in purgatory.” That really dates me! Even as a child, she was teaching me that my hurt could in some way be redemptive.

And it’s true. When we consciously join our sufferings to His, they become redemptive with His as well. We can even begin to understand the mystery of the cross, and it will help us grow deeper in love. That is one way to suffer with Christ – to offer our sufferings to God, with His.

But there’s another meaning too, of “suffering with Christ,” and I thank God that there is. I say that because, you see …. I can’t say that I suffer, really. Hey, if you ask me, “How are you doing today,” A lot of times, my answer will be “Better than I deserve!” And gee, I mean that! It’s not that I feel I deserve to suffer, but there are so many innocent people in this world who do suffer, so how come I don’t? Especially if “suffering with Christ” is the way to God’s glory…

But I’d like to ask you to remember something. Remember that great vision at the end of Matthew’s gospel, about all those facing judgment based on whether they fed the hungry or welcomed the stranger or sheltered the homeless or visited the sick or imprisoned? It was because when they encountered any of those, those suffering ones, they were encountering Jesus himself. “Suffering with Christ” means being in solidarity with those who suffer, because in them we encounter Jesus himself. Let me say that again. “Suffering with Christ” means being willing to live one’s life with the hungry, the homeless, the sick and dying, the immigrant, the prisoner, all those who suffer – for in them we encounter Jesus himself.

I could stop right there, I know, but because I’ve touched upon this topic of suffering and being with those who suffer, there are two things I should acknowledge – really, we all should acknowledge. The first is very fresh. In the last three months, St. Bridget has had two long-suffering people die, and it was very personal for so many of us because they were both mothers, with husbands and families, children in our schools, and I’m obviously talking about Monica Fetty, whose funeral was just Friday, and Ally Scalzo, who died in mid-March. They both suffered and fought for a long time. But they weren’t alone – there were so many people in our community who suffered and fought with them, and so many more who prayed for them and suffered with them in their own quiet ways. They were both examples of courage and faith, and they made us better people. We need to continue to live with the Spirit that they drew out of us.

The second thing we all need to know and acknowledge is this. There are other people in this parish who suffer. Some of them are in the pews next to us, and some may have stopped coming to church. There are people who have health issues and they struggle along mostly alone. There are people who have suffered abuse, -- verbal, physical, or even sexual abuse -- some as a child, some in a marriage -- some a long time ago and some more recently, probably some right now –– but because of the shame and stigma, they don’t want others to know. And there are other ways that people in our parish suffer, God knows. A primary question for us as a Christian parish will always be, “How are we growing as a community where we truly live in solidarity with one another, sharing our sufferings and our joys?” That’s a good thing for us to think about over the next months, as we experience a pastoral change here at St. Bridget.

God bless you all.

Deacon Denny Duffell
St. Bridget Parish