May 9, 2008
'Be not afraid!’
‘Saved in Hope’ — XI
by Archbishop Raymond L. Burke
Suffering in Life
The third setting in which we learn and practice hope is suffering. Before discussing suffering as a setting of hope, Pope Benedict XVI, in his encyclical letter "Spe Salvi (On Christian Hope)," briefly considers the reality of human suffering in itself. He begins by reminding us simply that "suffering is a part of our human existence" (Spe Salvi, n. 36).
What causes suffering? There are two principal causes. The first is our human limitation, our finitude as human beings. The second is "the mass of sin which has accumulated over the course of history, and continues to grow unabated today" (Spe Salvi, n. 36).
Our response to human suffering
What can and should we do in the face of suffering? First of all, "we must do whatever we can to reduce suffering: to avoid as far as possible the suffering of the innocent; to soothe pain; to give assistance in overcoming mental suffering" (Spe Salvi, n. 36). The Holy Father reminds us that such action, on our part, in the face of suffering is a requirement not only of justice but also of love.
Pope Benedict XVI observes that, although there has been much progress in dealing with human pain, "yet the sufferings of the innocent and mental suffering have, if anything, increased in recent decades" (Spe Salvi, n.36).
We must continue to eliminate suffering as much as possible, but, as the Holy Father reminds us, we are not able to eliminate all suffering from our lives.
The reasons why we cannot remove all suffering are strictly tied to the causes of suffering. We remain limited human beings, and we, by ourselves, are incapable of overcoming the forces of evil and of sin: Pope Benedict XVI declares:
Indeed, we must do all we can to overcome suffering, but to banish it from the world altogether is not in our power.
This is simply because we are unable to shake off our finitude and because none of us is capable of eliminating the power of evil, of sin which, as we plainly see, is a constant source of suffering (Spe Salvi, n. 36).
Only God can win for us the victory over sin and its evil fruits.
God’s response to our suffering
Only God can overcome suffering in our lives and, in fact, He has done so by winning the victory over sin in our human nature. God the Son has taken our human nature and, thereby, has taken upon himself all of man’s suffering.
Pope Benedict XVI recalls to our minds the words of St. John the Baptist in the Gospel according to St. John, regarding the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, God the Son Incarnate, over evil. Seeing our Lord Jesus, at the beginning of His public ministry, St. John the Baptist declared: "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29).
Faith in God’s power to forgive our sins in Jesus Christ fills us with hope for the healing of all human suffering.
Pope Benedict XVI, however, reminds us that hope remains hope; it does not take away suffering but gives us "the courage to place ourselves on the side of good even in seemingly hopeless situations, aware that, as far as the external course of history is concerned, the power of sin will continue to be a terrible presence" (Spe Salvi, n. 36). The power of hope, in other words, does not remove suffering but brings healing in the midst of the suffering caused by our sins.
Hope, our anchor in suffering
Our response to suffering can never be a flight from what is required of us in the pursuit of truth and love. As the Holy Father reminds us, such a flight only leads to "a life of emptiness, in which there may be almost no pain but the dark sensation of meaninglessness and abandonment is all the greater" (Spe Salvi, n. 37).
Healing, rather, comes through our capacity to embrace suffering and to grow in the likeness of Christ through suffering which is freely accepted. Our life in Christ, which is eternal life, is defined by taking up the Cross with Him for the sake of love which is unconditional and selfless.
To illustrate the truth that embracing suffering for the sake of pure love brings us healing and teaches us hope, Pope Benedict XVI quotes a letter of St. Paul Le-Bao-Tinh, one of the Vietnamese martyrs during the 19th century. The saint was confined in a prison in which both the physical deprivations and the spiritual depravity were, indeed, hellish. He, however, described a profound joy and peace in his soul, as he wrote, "because I am not alone — Christ is with me."
Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ brought profound healing to St. Paul Le-Bao-Tinh in the midst of the worst imaginable suffering. In his letter, quoted by Pope Benedict XVI, he declared: "In the midst of this storm I cast my anchor toward the throne of God, the anchor that is the lively hope in my heart" (Spe Salvi, n. 37). The anchor of his hope was Jesus Christ seated in glory at the right hand of God the Father. It is to the throne of our Risen Lord that we cast the anchor of our hearts in the midst of suffering.
The star of hope
Pope Benedict XVI recalls to our minds the text of Psalm 139 (138), in which the psalmist celebrates the presence of God with us always. The truth is that God is our light even in the deepest darkness of suffering. The prayer of the psalmist finds its full answer in the redemptive Incarnation of God the Son.
At His death and Resurrection, Christ descended immediately into "hell," not the hell of the eternally damned but the abode of the just who had died in the hope of the salvation which Christ won for us by dying on the Cross and rising from the dead (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, nos. 631-635). "Christ descended into ‘hell’ and is therefore close to those cast into it, transforming their darkness into light" (Spe Salvi, n. 37).
By the miracle of God’s grace, of Christ’s life within us through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the suffering that remains "terrible and well-nigh unbearable" for us is suffused with the light of Christ’s victory over sin and everlasting death. Suffering for the Christian is never the experience of the victory of the forces of evil but, rather, the cause of hope because of Christ’s victory over Satan and his cohorts. As Pope Benedict XVI declares, "The star of hope has risen — the anchor of the heart reaches the very throne of God" (Spe Salvi, n. 37).
The Global Day of Prayer
At 4 p.m. Sunday, May 11, Christians of many denominations will gather in Busch Stadium for the regional observance of the Global Day of Prayer. There is no charge for admission.
Having its origin in South Africa during the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, the Global Day of Prayer has become a worldwide observance of repentance and prayer for the transformation of our world. We are all deeply conscious of the need of the conversion of our hearts to God. Our sins are the cause of so much suffering in the world. Union with Christ through repentance and prayer is powerful to overcome the evil which besets us.
The faithful of the Archdiocese of St. Louis will be participating in the regional observance of the Global Day of Prayer. You are encouraged to take part. More information can be found on the archdiocesan website: www.archstl.org.
Happy Mother’s Day
I wish a most joyous observance of Mother’s Day to all of the faithful of the archdiocese. I promise my prayers for God’s blessing upon all of our mothers who are living. I also promise prayers for the eternal rest of our mothers who have died in Christ.
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