My brother has posted an impassioned reflection at the Jesuit Post. One line struck me as so many are facing the devastation wrought by forces of nature:
Suffering is a disdainfully common part of the human condition. Women bear children, farmers labor in fields, and patients endure chemotherapy. Sometimes in the midst of suffering, humans cry out to God in desperation. When I encounter suffering, I often feel like I’m wading into deep, muddy water. I cannot see or feel love because I’m terrified.
I know that the Gospels say that God is love, but I have learned that God’s being love does not make suffering any less terrifying. Which is not to say that it is irrelevant that God is love – it is to say that it means something different.
It means that, if I surrender control, there is a chance that love can transform suffering into something bearable. This is, in fact, what the word “suffering” etymologically means: “to bear up under.” In this sense, love is the muddy water, but I no longer have to wade. Instead it bears me up. And in the very moment I am swept up, I float. I am not alone. I am never alone.
I hope all those suffering from floodwaters or fires or terminal illness or whatever they face this side of the Fall can lean on that trust, knowing they are not alone. "Look for the helpers," his mother told Mister Rogers when he was young. God sends us helpers, notably our Guardian Angels. It was the helpers running towards the Twin Towers whose sacrifice inspires us today.
No comments:
Post a Comment