Saturday, September 28, 2024
Theme: SUFFERING, THE WAY TO SALVATION.
Readings: Ecclesiastes 12:9-12:8, Psalm 90, Luke 9:43b-45.
To the inexperienced, worldly and thoughtless christian, God’s wisdom is confusion. How can suffering be the way to salvation? Suffering is a state of undergoing pain or hardships. Suffering implies conscious endurance of pain or distress. Suffering is in our lives because we are living in a broken World and so we partly contribute to our own human suffering due to selfishness. From the christian point of view, suffering is the product of the fall, a consequence of human sin against God (Romans 5:12, 1 Corinthians 15:21). Suffering has a value and this is one of the Truths that Christianity teaches us (Romans 8:18). Jesus’ suffering and our suffering have salvific value.
The word of God assures us that suffering produces character (Romans 5:3), our suffering glorifies God (2 Corinthians 12:9-10), thus before there is a blessing anywhere, there must be some sweet suffering somewhere.
The lives of saints show some powerful instances of suffering. Our human nature and some versions of modern Christianity have taught us otherwise and do not want to mention the word suffering. Think of students who suffer with sleepless nights, the inconvenience of being in boarding schools and putting on uniform all the time. What happens after graduation and getting a job? There is joy and gratification. When we suffer especially for our faith, we should see ourselves participating in the suffering of Jesus. We should offer our suffering to God like Jesus for any intention and our sanctification and the glory of God. The limited joys and painful sorrows that come in and out of our lives need attention:
1. What meaning do they have in my life?
2. Are they not the threads of His infinitely beautiful pattern?
3. Are they not His weaving, a weaving far beyond our sight and hearing?
4. How much suffering have I caused to myself, family, government and my christian community ( the Church)?
5. How is my faith in times of suffering?
“Lord Jesus, may our suffering find favour in your sight”. Amen!
Fr. Kwehangana Bagubwa Mathias,
St. Charles Lwanga Seminary Nyakibale.