Prayer Chain of Redemptive Suffering

Suffering may be particular to the nature of man but it also seems to belong to humanities transcendence (SD 2).  Let us be clear, God does not cause suffering but the reality is, suffering exists.  When we suffer it can be empowering to understand the incredible mystery of redemptive suffering.  One could say that Jesus lived His entire life to get to His weakest moment.  It is in His weakest moment that the most powerful gift was given to humanity.  His suffering, sacrifice and death would rip the veil and bring the realities of suffering and evil to its knees.  The truth is when we are at our weakest moments we call out to God.  When we are in the depths of despair, we call out to God.  When we are strong and things are going well, many times we rely on ourselves, but we must rely on God in all things.  We are called to give thanks in all things: our triumphs, our joys, our weaknesses and our hardships (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Our weakness and sufferings, when united to the suffering of Christ, allow humanity to participate in salvation: “I rejoice in my sufferings for I am making up what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ, for the sake of his body, the Church (Col 1:24)". 

If we look to the stories of the saints: St. Gemma, St. Therese of Lisieux, St. John of the Cross, etc., we see the transcending grace of suffering.  Few are called to such heroic virtue as the saints but all are called to carry our cross.  We trust that God will be our strength. “More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us (Rom 5:3-5)".  There is dignity in knowing that weakness is where God can work through us and we can be empowered knowing God is our yolk.

Mary, the mother of Jesus, has always lived the battle between good and evil and her choice was always to trust God.  “Be it done unto me according to Thy word” (Luke 1:38). She lived her life in great humility as the hidden daughter of Zion. The Magnificat, found in the Gospel of Luke, shows Mary’s humility is complete because of her sinlessness. Her self-emptying is total because the lack of ego leaves her wholly open to God’s will (RM).

Mary, therefore, becomes our role model. In our suffering we can cling to ego rather than letting it go. In our suffering we can become bitter and angry and blame God. The Blessed Virgin stood at the foot of the cross and loved. She stood at the foot of the cross and did not crumble because in her ‘pilgrimage of Faith’ she had the strength of God holding her up. We, too, can have this strength in our lives. It begins with a relationship with God (RM).

How does that relationship grow? The answer goes against all the world tells us because it is in our weakness that this relationship is nurtured. Jesus lived his entire life to get to his weakest point. In that weakness he conquered death and destroyed the great abyss between God and man. When put in the perspective of how we live our own lives we can see that in our strengths we do not appear to need God because we are doing it. But if our strengths are not redeemed then they can become oppressive, enslaving us to our own pride and ego. It is in our weakness and in our suffering that we cling to God. He can work through our strengths if we let go of our ego and live as Mary did - with complete self-emptying humility.

When we learn to offer up our suffering with the sufferings of Jesus Christ - grace flows to the world. One cannot truly live out redemptive suffering without love. Saint John Paul II tells us that “Human suffering has reached its culmination in the Passion of Christ. And at the same time it has entered into a completely new dimension and a new order: it has been linked to love, to that love of which Christ spoke to Nicodemus, to that love which creates good, drawing it out by means of suffering, just as the supreme good of the Redemption of the world was drawn from the Cross of Christ, and from that Cross constantly takes its beginning” (SD).

In conclusion, knowing that we are loved, wanted and treasured children of God builds trust in His love for us.  When we understand the transformative power of suffering, recognizing strength in weakness, and can view Mary as a role model, then we can begin our journey of hope.  You can turn your suffering into a powerful weapon against evil.  You can turn your suffering into the joy of hope and know you are not alone.  Jesus is with you and together miracles can happen.
 

If you want to begin turning your suffering into a powerful prayer please visit https://www.sldmfishers.org/prayer-chain