The Power of Love

 Yesterday, I blogged about God's omnipotence The One True Faith: God's Omnipotence (theonetruefaith-faith.blogspot.com).  Everybody interprets that attribute as powerful might.  What if we're wrong?  Suppose God is omnipotent in love.  Wouldn't that explain the evil we see in our world?  We ask why God doesn't do something.  

He doesn't "fix" wrongs the way we would.  He accompanies us.  We're supposed to fix.  What about death?  We can't fix that.  But God is there through it all.  He doesn't leave us.  

Today, my "cloistered brothers" discussed "suffering."  We read an article in Suffering in the Christian Life, edited by Richard W. Miller.  Specifically, we focused on Elizabeth A. Dreyer's article, "Suffering in the Christian Life and Experience."  The suffering we talked about is emotional.  Think of the suffering of Judas and Peter, for betraying Jesus.  

Think of the suffering of people who have been fired.  Think of the humiliating emotions of people who have failed--lost their medical license, failed in teaching, been disbarred.  It's suffering.  How about mothers estranged from their children?  How about government agencies taking away your children because you're a bad mother?  

These are examples of suffering where God is with us.  

Redemptive Suffering

  What is the Catholic teaching on suffering?  from Wekepoedia

The Catholic Church sees human suffering as a chance to follow the example of Christ and believe that it is a part of God's plan. The document aims to reconcile suffering and pain with the belief in a loving God. Those who suffer here on Earth are united in that suffering with Christ, who died on the cross.

Redemptive suffering is the Christian belief that human suffering, when accepted and offered up in union with the Passion of Jesus, can remit the just punishment for one's sins or for the sins of another, or for the other physical or spiritual needs of oneself or another.

Cardinal Pell in an address he gave at St. Patrick's Seminary in Menlo, California said he offered up his suffering in prison.  He thought of Christ's suffering and united himself to Him.

I also just got off the phone with a friend who is in great mental and emotional anguish.  She also is offering her pain as redemptive suffering.  So the pain can be physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.

Anyone can offer their pain up.  Don't waste your suffering.  Think of the suffering of Jesus and unite yourself to Him.

God's Participation

Have you ever noticed how that original sin morphed so quickly into murder?  From disobedience and pride, we next get fratricide.  Wow, that was fast!  I imagine along with Cain's murdering Abel, must have been anger,envy and pride.  Away from the love in the Garden of Eden is real sin--murder.

But God helps us.  He gave Adam and Eve clothes to hide their nakedness.  He gave Abel a mark to protect him.  Even when everyone was wicked, God protected Noah.

The next time someone asks where is God, remember that He is there with us in the suffering.  He will help you.  A few days ago, Brussels had a terrorist attack.  God suffers with us.  Let us trust God.  He will help.

God Will Help

We watched a movie of Father Mark Toups talking about suffering.  It was very good.  Father Toups lectures as he walks through the devasted areas left by hurricaine Katrina in New Orleans.  He addresses the age old question of "Why does God allow this?"

I tried to get a discussion going.  It never got off the ground.  I think it's because there's no answer to the question.  No one knows the mind of God.  There probably isn't just one answer.  We can't see the entire picture.  If we blame God for the bad, then who do we give credit to, for the good?

Of course there's bad, we don't live in the Garden of Eden.

God will turn the bad into good, just have faith and trust Him.  We agreed we have to do this--have faith and trust.  Father Mark Toups told us the story of a blind priest he knew.  One day the priest got lost in his own town.  He sent up a prayer and felt God telling him to put himself in a postion to be found.  "What?"  What did God want; then the priest heard "Sit down in the street."  The command was definite, so the priest trusted and obeyed.

You want to know what happened?

The blind priest is sitting in the middle of the street.  Around the corner comes a car, driven by a parishioner who recognizes his priest.  The driver gets out and asks the priest "what's the matter?"  When the priest explains that he was lost, the parishioner immediately drove the priest home.

You can bet that situation was fodder for a great homily.  But if you think about God's command to put yourself in a position to be found, you can see that is good advice.  Somebody will help us.  God will help.

Do you have faith and trust in God?

Oh God

If you're human you've suffered.  It is to be endured.  It is said that suffering makes you stronger, that it builds character.  True in many ways and sometimes.  What about spiritually?  Why does God purposely allow suffering to occur.

What do you do when you suffer?  Is your first reaction to say, "Oh God?"

That "Oh God," should be lifted up in prayer, because that's the prime reason God permits suffering.  Suffering is supposed to force us to turn to Him.  He is with us, always.  He is in our everyday existence.  He wants us to depend on Him.

Originally, He created us, so we depended on Him for everything.  This suffering is a reminder that He is our Protector.  God is trying to restore us back to the original order of things.  Misery would make life here in the world unbearable, were it not for God.  Man can not satisfy himself.  Only God satisfies.

Suffering is a blessing from God, Who knew that His children, disordered as they were, would not on their own, realize that the good around them was from God.  Our memories are like sieves.  When everything is going well, we tend to forget God, from whom all blessings flow.  Suffering reminds us, of God's existence.
 Never to suffer would never to have been blessed.      Edgar Allan Poe (1809 - 1849)

Grace through Suffering

I'm home sick today with a cold.  It's rattling around in my chest, and I thought I'd rest up, drink plenty of fluids and consider it a "P and P Day."  "P & P" stands for "Pray and Play."  Today the "Play" translates into "Read" since I don't feel like Playing.

And the Prayer has become Lectio Divina.  That's because yesterday in Chapter, we  discussed Grace through Suffering.  Specifically, accepting suffering as uniting ourselves with Christ, and by the power of the Holy Spirit suffering is transformed into resurrection.

Huh?

Yeah, you see instead of simply suffering and bitching about it, lumping it, enduring, sucking it up...all bad, accept  it and what you perceive as the "bad," returns as grace.       Think about it.

As a Christian, I can believe it; I can see it.

That was yesterday's Chapter.  Last night, I finished reading Markus Zusak's The Book Thief.  Now, there's a book about suffering.  Wait a minute, upon reflection I'll rephrase that; now there's a book about grace.

Yes, there's untold suffering throughout the book.  I used quite a few tissues--but then I do have a cold.  With every cruel, evil occurrence, there was always a moment of grace.  The very first heart rendering death of Liesel's brother resulted in Liesel's redemption--a book.  That's how the story goes.  The grace is there.

Today, I finished reading The Death of Magister Aycardus, by Fr. Michael Demkovich, O.P.  This is a mystery about Meister Eckhart.  Near the end, Gianna tells everyone, "Only a woman who has given birth truly knows the mystery of suffering."  There you go!  Money quote!  Perfect example of Grace through Suffering.

Oh yeah, also being home sick has givin me this opportunity to post about Grace through Suffering.

God is Good.  All the Time!