Saturday, September 30, 2017

suffering isn't for suffering's sake


St Gregory the Great gives us some great advice today in A Year with the Church Fathers. He says that God created everything, so we shouldn't call anything evil and avoid it, but we should enjoy all of the good things He's created as He intended for us to have them.

This brings us to an important lesson. Whether we're thinking of fasting or avoiding sexual sin or choosing to live simply and not with great wealth, we should never think that the suffering that we're experiencing is for its own sake. When sickness and pain enter our lives, it's not just so that we suffer and need to suck it up and deal with it. All of these forms of suffering are for a purpose. When we fast, it is so that we prepare for something greater. Fasting during Lent prepares us for Easter. Fasting before mass prepares us for the Eucharist. Fasting during Advent prepares us for Christmas.

When we avoid sexual sin, it's not just that God is a cosmic killjoy and wants us to suffer because it's fun to watch us be unhappy. It's because He's saving us for the greater joy of chastity, whether that's the pure sexual fulfillment of a marriage relationship, or walking closely with Him in celibacy.

Every time we suffer, in one way or another, in this lifetime, it's for a greater good. We can trust Him to work EVERYTHING for our good, but especially the things that hurt. He's good at redeeming pain and making it shape us into better people.

This is especially important to remember when we choose to fast or abstain from some pleasure. It keeps us from becoming proud, since we realize that it's for our own good that we're doing it.

God, thank You for teaching us that every little thing we suffer, You use for our good.