What is the meaning of human suffering? By Fr. Socrates B. Villegas

 SUFFERING HAS MEANING

Fr. Socrates B. Villegas 

A "masochist" is defined as a person who takes pleasure in their own pain. A "sadist" is one who takes pleasure in the pain of another.

If you hear the Beatitudes of our Lord for the first time, it might strike you that a Christian seems to have no other destiny but to be a masochist, in the sense that the Christian is being asked to take pleasure in their sufferings.

 

However, that is not the point of the Beatitudes. God is not asking us to find happiness in suffering, nor is He asking us to enjoy pain. Instead, God is asking us to find meaning in pain. This is a completely different issue. We are being asked to discover the meaning of human suffering. Thus, pain is no longer pain because it has been given meaning and purpose.

What is the meaning of human suffering? There are two things: 

First, human suffering brings us into communion with the sufferings of Christ; 

Second, human suffering brings us into communion with the suffering of others. When you suffer, you also remember "hindi ka nag-iisa" (you are not alone). You might think that your suffering is greater than that of others, but you must also remember that there are many other people who suffer more than you do. 

If you have lost a leg and you are brooding over it, please remember those who have lost their legs and arms. There will always be people whose suffering is greater than ours; we remember them and we express communion and solidarity with them. If you cannot find somebody who is suffering more than you, you will certainly find that Christ suffered more than all of us.

Pain is not there to be sought. Human suffering is not to be pursued. What God is asking us to do is to put meaning in the pain and suffering that we are experiencing. When the meaning is there, suffering is no longer a puzzle. Suffering has been conquered by the power of God.

Let us lift up to the Lord in sacrifice all our pains and sufferings. Perhaps they are too great to be shared with our trusted friends and loved ones. Let us ask the Lord to show us the meaning in everything that we have to undergo.