Suffering Teaches Us

“The fire rages, but the Lord is with us in tribulation.” St. Bernard, abbot

Recently, I met several people who seemed to have the tiger by the tail so to speak. Their lives were running smoothly, and nothing seemed to faze them. At the same time, I witnessed others who seemed to endure never ending suffering and trials. How can this be? It led to me ask a priest friend of mine about this because I trusted his opinion. His reply was that he knew from an early age that God always has a plan and that plan needs to be fulfilled and we need to work with that plan freely. It was small consolation for me because sometimes, things are simply not that clear. At the same time, my work situation was changing, and this would lead to more questions. This is the time to pray.

“Don’t waste your suffering.” Pope John Paul II

Curiously, I read about Blessed Serafina Sforza. Her parents died when she was a child, and she lived with her rich Roman uncle. When she was only 16, he married her off to Alexander, a rich man. He went off on a military campaign and after six years, he returned. He kept on with another woman and drove Serafina out of their home to the point where she almost died. She went to live with the Poor Clares and Alexander continued to bully her. After some years, he came to ask for forgiveness and eventually died. I am sure God wants to save us all, and through Serafina, it seemed to have happened with her husband. Why she had to suffer so much still is perplexing to me, so I tried to find out more about this topic. Then, I read about Sebastian Kimura. His grandfather was the first Japanese man to convert to Catholicism. Sebastian was raised in a Christian home in the 1600s but by 1614, the persecution started. Books were banned, penalties announced, and many people were martyred for their faith. Sebastian covertly tried to minister to people, but he was betrayed by a servant. After a year in prison, he died with the rest of the Catholics through a slow death. Incredible!

“If you really want to love Jesus, first learn to suffer, because suffering teaches you to love.” St. Gemma Galgani

Pope Leo XIV, whom I enjoy referencing, reminds us that evil will not prevail. I do not think any of us will go through life unscathed, but we must remain faithful and steadfast in our determination to serve God. This is no small feat. We struggle every day in a complicated world to remain strong. The recent canonizations of PierGiorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis struck me very much. I shared what I could on social media, and I bought the book about Carlo Acutis written by his mother. Her face at the mass also struck me. What she must have endured as she watched him die. We need to be strong always and pray continuously for that strength so that we can resist falling into what the world expects from us. Only the Lord’s opinion counts.

"Learn to suffer a little for the love of God without telling everyone about it.” St. Teresa of Avila

“What does it matter if you can win a thousand battles if you cannot win against your own corrupt passions? It doesn’t matter. The real battle is with ourselves.” Carlo Acutis