... Continuation of Part I
St. Paul wrote to Timothy, “Share in suffering like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. […] If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. (2 Tim. 2:3,12-13 NRSVCE)” In 2 Thessalonians, he wrote, “Therefore we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith during all your persecutions and the afflictions that you are enduring. This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, and is intended to make you worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering. (1:4-5 NRSVCE)”
Worthy of the kingdom of God? Yes! The story of the Gospel is so much grander than what most make it out to be. That is, Jesus does not want to merely forgive us of our sins and save our soul from death; he wants to draw us up into himself. He wants to make us partakers and worthy sharers in his power, his righteousness, his glory and even his work of redemption. He wants to make us worthy heirs of his kingdom. He wants to actually heal us in our entire being, to restore us to our original design. He wants to “hit the reset button,” so to speak, on humanity by his life, death and resurrection.
Through his once-for-all sacrifice, and his resurrection, we are able to literally become like him. Our forgiveness is obtained in baptism. From there, we are new creations and placed in sanctifying grace, just as Adam and Eve were without original sin. (The reset button applied). So, then, by the indwelling of the Spirit (as mentioned in my last post), we become partakers in the divine nature (2 Pet. 1:4), and are given the power to be holy as he his holy. (1 Pet. 1:15-16)
St. Peter wrote, “Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same intention (for whoever has suffered in the flesh has finished with sin), so as to live for the rest of your earthly life no longer by human desires but by the will of God. (1 Pet. 4:1-2 NRSVCE)” Earlier, he wrote, “For it is a credit to you if, being aware of God, you endure pain while suffering unjustly. If you endure when you are beaten for doing wrong, what credit is that? But if you endure when you do right and suffer for it, you have God’s approval. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps. (1 Pet. 2:19-21)” Here, we can clearly see that not only is holiness possible to the point of being “finished with sin,” but also our suffering conforms us to his image and is our path to God.
When sin entered the world, so did suffering and death. Christ, though, became man, and took on the Enemy by using the very consequences and tools of evil to overcome evil itself. “He was obedient unto death. (Phil. 2:8)” First, he overcame sin by his obedience to the will of the Father. Then, he conquered suffering by enduring it willingly. Then, he overcame death by his resurrection. In doing all of this, he turned the very consequences of sin (suffering and death) into the means by which evil is conquered. The Cross itself, an instrument of suffering and death, became the source of our salvation and life.
This is true, not only in his Cross, but our crosses: “whoever does not take up his cross and follow me, is not worthy of me. (Matt. 10:38)” There it is again: “worthy!” Our crosses only have meaning in his Cross. Nevertheless, our crosses, too, are instruments of suffering; they are sources of suffering as we give up our will for the place of his will. We must “die to self,” and endure to the end. “For he will repay according to each one’s deeds: to those who by patiently doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. (Rom. 2:6-7 NRSVCE)” This is what the Church means by teaching that Christ redeemed suffering; he made our suffering to have saving value – for ourselves and for others.
By dying to self and taking up our crosses, we can grow closer to Christ, sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in obedience and holiness. We can also offer up that suffering as a sacrifice. So, St. Paul could write, “ I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church. (Col. 1:24 NRSVCE)” If we suffer in love, while doing good, we can offer every single pain to God through Jesus Christ, the Redeemer. And in the end, we will receive “an eternal weight of glory” (2 Cor. 4:(17)) that will be given once we hear, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”
Always, then, offer every moment of suffering to God the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit. Never declare those who suffer to be worthless or without hope, for they, too, can receive an eternal weight of glory. No suffering is too great to be unredeemable. God can redeem all things through Christ our Lord and his Cross – even our greatest of trials, sufferings, and losses, especially when they are offered up in love to God.
As Pope Francis recently said, “We cannot have Christ without the Cross.” So, then, let us hear what the saints have told us and follow in their footsteps:
If God gives you an abundant harvest of trials, it is a sign of great holiness which He desires you to attain. Do you want to become a great saint? Ask God to send you many sufferings. The flame of Divine Love never rises higher than when fed with the wood of the Cross, which the infinite charity of the Savior used to finish His sacrifice. All the pleasures of the world are nothing compared with the sweetness found in the gall and vinegar offered to Jesus Christ. That is, hard and painful things endured for Jesus Christ and with Jesus Christ.
--Saint Ignatius of Loyola
If the soul would know the merit which one acquires in temptations suffered in patience and conquered, it would be tempted to say: "Lord, send me temptations.”
--St. Padre Pio
Let us understand that God is a physician, and that suffering is a medicine for salvation, not a punishment for damnation.
--St. Augustine
For Jesus Christ I am prepared to suffer still more.
--Saint Maximilian Kolbe
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