Homily outline on Suffering (taking the 1^st path above)

• The question of suffering has occupied the minds and souls of people throughout history
  • A common question ministers and preachers are often asked to answer is “Why do I have to suffer?”
  • This question, and questions like it, unearth the depth of uncertainty, pain, fear, and grief that suffering can cause
  • For Christians, human suffering can be redemptive and unite one’s own experience of suffering with Jesus’ experience of human suffering
  • Suffering begs for a human and spiritual response; the virtues of hope and love can be powerful antidotes to fight the effects of suffering

• The Passion Narrative the evangelist John offers reveals the experience of Jesus’ own human suffering. The suffering of Jesus was physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual
  • Physical: “…there they crucified him…” (John 19:18). Jesus was struck (John 18:22), endured carrying the weight of a cross, and experienced they physical pain of crucifixion
  • Psychological: “…They cried out, ‘Take him away, take him away! Crucify him!’…” (John 19:15). Jesus experienced rejection and abandonment from the crowds and his close friend Peter (John 18:15-18, 25-27)
  • Emotional: “…Woman behold your son…Son, behold your mother” (John 19:26-27). Jesus confronted the emotional effect his death would have on his mother and disciples
  • Spiritual: “…My kingdom does not belong to this world…” (John 18:36). Jesus takes on the sins of all humanity

• Human Experiences of Suffering
  • Often, suffering can feel like a lonely and all-encompassing experience
  • Suffering is an inevitable and universal human experience, and one that produces a symphony of human emotions
  • Like Jesus, our suffering is
  • Physical: disease, domestic violence, gun violence, food insecurity
  • Psychological: depression, anxiety, fear, shame
  • Emotional: distress, embarrassment, abandonment, rejection, loss
  • Spiritual: anger, question of God’s presence, searching for the meaning of one’s life
  • There are times when our suffering may be acute and seasons when it feels chronic
  • How do we respond to suffering?
    • We avoid
    • We bury
    • We medicate
    • Sometimes, we embrace
  • Jesus’ own suffering, and his willingness to accept death so that we may have life, becomes a powerful sign that we do not suffer alone

• Hope and Love
  • Jesus responds to suffering by sharing hope and love
  • The suffering of Jesus makes visible the love of God
    • This paradox conveys that through human suffering love can be found
    • In moments of suffering the love of God remains
  • The discovery of God’s love in life’s most challenging moments instills hope
    • …that we are never alone
    • …that our suffering can lead to greater dependence on God
    • …that healing and new life will come
  • We are entrusted with a mission as disciples of Jesus, as members of the human family; we can share love and hope to those who are hurting
    • By being present (physical)
    • By forging human connection (psychological)
    • By speaking words of comfort (emotional)
    • By the prayers we share (spiritual)
  • Good news is found in remembering and celebrating that Jesus’ Good Friday leads to Easter Sunday
    • Suffering and death never have the final word
    • But before resurrection is experienced, we confront the suffering of the Cross—we name our own crosses
  • Our suffering can be redemptive when we allow them to draw us closer to God
    • Depending on social status, the experience of suffering may be different for each person
    • Salvifici Doloris (https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_letters/1984/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_11021984_salvifici-doloris.html)
    • Jesus is close to us in our suffering because of his own experience of suffering
    • It is in this closeness that we can find hope and experience the gift of divine love