What is suffering? Why do we suffer? Do we suffer to do reparations for our sins and the sins of others? Do we have to suffer in order to get through life, do we suffer just because we are born into this world, or do we suffer because of the consequences of our sins and the sins of others?
I was born into a Catholic family which practiced the Catholic rituals and traditions meticulously.
We were read stories of saints who endured their sufferings for the sake of mankind, uniting their suffering with that of Christ on the cross. We heard stories of saints who purposely induced suffering upon themselves in order to crucify their flesh and to bear the sins of the world.
They call it the 'Mortification of the flesh'. Here is an article from Wikipedia:-
A discipline (of mortification) is a small scourge (whip) used by members of some Christian denominations (including Anglicans,[1]Lutherans,[2] and Roman Catholics,[3]among others)[4] in the spiritual discipline known as mortification of the flesh. Many disciplines contain seven cords, symbolizing the seven deadly sins and seven virtues. They also often contain three knots on each cord, representing the number of days Jesus Christ remained in the tomb after bearing the sins of humanity. Those who use the discipline often do so during the penitential season of Lent, but others use it on other occasions,[5] and some have used it every day.[6]
See attached photo below.
After accepting Christ willingly, on my own, the Holy Spirit revealed many insights from God's Word, to me.
One of it was, Jesus suffered once and for all for every sinner of the world, from Adam to the last man till the end of time on earth. He has paid the price. We just have to believe in His redemptive work and accept Him as our Lord and Saviour.
Thus, we do not need to induce suffering upon ourselves. Though we must mortify our flesh daily.
Mortification of the flesh is not by beating our bodies but by controlling our desires and passions and bringing them in subjection to God. We do it, by not following our whims and fancies. We do it, by focusing on God's Word and His will for our lives. We do it with the help of the Holy Spirit.
As I grew in the Lord, I learned that sin has consequences. It need not be a big one like murder. Just a flicker of thought which we entertain in our minds, a hurtful or accusing word which we utter or indudging in excess food, drinks or material goods can cause harm to ourselves and those around us. If we repent, we will be forgiven. But the consequences of those actions, thoughts and words, which have come to pass, we may have to suffer them...unless God delivers us from such suffering by His grace.
I have seen, families broken because of just one spoken word (which went unrepented), which snowballed into a boulder and crushed and tore each member of the family apart.
I have seen secret evil thoughts of anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, shame and lust that were entertained for years giving birth to undesirable, loatheful and shocking behavior, eventually ruining the peace and unity in families and marriages.
I have seen actions unrepented of, causing division in families, in communities and in churches.
People mostly suffer because of one's sinful behaviour.
Someone carelessly sneezes in a crowed train without covering his/her mouth and someone else catches the virus and ends up very sick. This is but a teeny weeny example of how grevious the effects of our sins can be. The eternal consequence of sin is spiritual death and a forever separation from God.
I am not saying that an innocent sneeze will lead to that, but unchecked and unrepented, careless, selfish, self-centred thoughts, words and actions will lead to suffering and an eternal separation from God in the long run.
Jesus said in John16:33 KJVS that, "in this world you will have tribulation..."
In the dictionary the meaning of tribulation is given as :- trouble, worry, anxiety,
burden, cross to bear, affliction, ordeal, trial, adiversity, hardship,
tragedy, trauma, reverse, setback, blow, difficulty, problem, issue, misfortune, bad luck, stroke of bad luck, illfortune, mishap,
misadventure; suffering,distress, misery,wretchedness,unhappiness, sadness,heartache, woe, grief,
pain,anguish, agony;
But Jesus concluded by saying, "John 16:33 KJVS
but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."
That is the good news for us. When we sin, we suffer the consequences. When we repent we are forgiven and given grace not to sin again. Although we suffer temporarily on earth, we are given assurance of an eternal, sin free, pain free, peace filled life with God.
Many blame God for their suffering, as if God enjoys seeing us suffer. No, God does not want us to suffer. That is why He gave His only begotten Son to suffer and die for us.
I do not understand many things. Why does a new born innocent baby suffer and die? Why does a faithful and God fearing young mother give birth to a baby with birth defects which threaten the baby's life? Why does a father who faithfully gives his tithe to church and who helps the poor, suddenly lose his job? Why does a cheerful, caring and pious person get cancer? Why does the only hardworking and loving breadwinner of a family die of a sudden heart attack? Why does a caring and faithful wife and mother of seven young children fall sick and die suddenly? Why does the only humble and modest daughter of an elderly couple get raped by a gang? Why? I don't have the answer, but I know that my God is bigger than all the suffering and problems of this world.
I am not saying that all those terrible things happened to the people I mentioned earlier because they did something wrong or sinned, no. Many times innocent people suffer because of the carelessness or sins of others. Some times we don't know why some things happen? But we can be sure that when we entrust ourselves into God's Fatherly hands, He will see us through.
He will give me His Spirit and endow me with His Wisdom to teach me and counsel me how to lead my life in order to avoid sin and suffering. He will teach me how to obey God and avoid sin and suffering. He will teach me how to follow rules so that I don't suffer as a consequence of breaking rules. When I fail and fall, all I have to do is tell Him sorry and allow Him to lift me up and hold me and lead me again. When suffering comes inadvertently, He will help me through it, holding me in His arms.
Now that I am in the all loving and all caring arms of my Saviour, I will never look at suffering the same way ever again.
I will boldly proclaim, " My God is Bigger than all the suffering or problems I face. He will see me through!" With His help I can consciously put off the old man and put on the new man daily! Praise God!
Mary Augustine
17/06/2018
*Below is a picture of the materials the olden day Catholics, Anglicans and Lutherans used to mortify their flesh.
