30th Week in OT 2019 - Tuesday - Suffering and the Hope of Glory

In the course of her decades of self-sacrificial service, Mother Theresa, St. Theresa of Calcutta, witnessed tremendous suffering. She encountered the abjectly impoverished, the abandoned and forgotten. She saw the agonies of Jesus in the orphans and homeless and victims of war discarded by society. She was keenly aware of the suffering caused by disease and violence and the suffering we cause to each other through neglect and greed. And yet, this woman, this saint, was not discouraged, nor did she lose faith in a good and loving God. She kept her gaze fixed firmly on heaven, and so allowed heaven to permeate her life.

She knew that in light of heaven, suffering was temporary, and helped the suffering to have hope. She said, “In light of heaven, the worst suffering on earth, a life full of the most atrocious tortures on earth, will be seen to be no more serious than one night in an inconvenient hotel.”

Mother Theresa echoes the sentiment of Saint Paul in the passage from Romans 8 today, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us.” Paul, too, knew what it meant to suffer. He suffered greatly for the Gospel. And he knew his audience knew what it meant to suffer. They suffered persecution for the Gospel as well, not to mention the ordinary sufferings of life.

But Paul dares to speak of our terrible earthly sufferings as “nothing” because his Christian hope was supreme. He says something similar to the Corinthians: “this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure.”

Suffering when faced with Christian faith and hope, transforms into the blossoming of the Kingdom of God—like the blooming of a mustard seed into the largest of trees.

Benedict XVI wrote in his second encyclical on hope:  ”We can try to limit suffering, to fight against it, but we cannot eliminate it. It is when we attempt to avoid suffering by withdrawing from anything that might involve hurt, when we try to spare ourselves the effort and pain of pursuing truth, love, and goodness, that we drift into a life of emptiness, in which there may be almost no pain, but the dark sensation of meaninglessness and abandonment is all the greater. It is not by sidestepping or fleeing from suffering that we are healed, but rather by our capacity for accepting it, maturing through it and finding meaning through union with Christ, who suffered with infinite love.”

May we see our crosses today in light of eternity, and not flee from those opportunities to grow in truth, love, and goodness, despite the suffering that growth entails, and thereby witness to the power of the Christian faith for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - - -
 
For perseverance in holiness, especially for our Pope, Bishops, and Priests, and that the faith of Christians may lead unbelievers to Christ.

For Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of October, “that the breath of the Holy Spirit may engender a new missionary ‘spring’ in the Church

That young people be inspired to respond generously to God’s call to sanctity, and for vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

For all the sick and suffering, and for all those in hospitals, nursing homes, and hospice care, for all those who will die today, for their consolation and that of their families.

For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for the deceased members of our family, friends, and parish, for the deceased clergy and religious of our diocese, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom.

O God, you know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.