Alright, it\u2019s just occurred to my that my approach to Catholicism is almost all through analogy. Hmmmm\u2026 If you have patience and time for another one, here\u2019s how I explained Redemptive Suffering to a Baptist minister while in labor with our dead child. I could have included it in the Ru-486 post, as it was the same day, but I think it needs its own spot. Do me a favor and breathe deeply every 2 minutes as you read it\u2026I was in labor, remember.<\/p>\n
So, here\u2019s what the minister who was sent to me for pastoral care said and my response:<\/p>\n
Him: We don\u2019t know why these things happen. We don\u2019t know what God\u2019s purpose is in them. They seem so senseless and there doesn\u2019t seem to be a point. All we can do is trust and hope that one day we understand.<\/p>\n
Me: Of course there\u2019s a point, it\u2019s called Redemptive Suffering.<\/p>\n
Him: I\u2019ve heard the term, but it is not one which I am familiar or comfortable with. I can understand the longing for finding meaning in meaningless pain, but it\u2019s just not there. This world is pain. That\u2019s all the explanation there is.<\/p>\n
Me: No, there is a point, want me to explain?<\/p>\n
Him: (skeptically) GO ahead.<\/p>\n
Me: Let\u2019s pretend for a second that I\u2019m a sword maker. I\u2019m sure that they have a name for those guys, but I don\u2019t know it, so pretend I\u2019m one of those guys who makes swords. I would take a big lump of metal, I\u2019m not sure what kind really, I\u2019m only a pretend sword maker, and throw it into the fire. After a while, I would pull it out and beat the hell out of it, then I would throw it back into the fire. I would do this over and over again, the throwing it in and beating the hell out of it. After a while, I would cool it in a big bucket of water and then start polishing it and sharpening it until it was sharp and shiny and was a sword.<\/p>\n
Well, it\u2019s kinda like that. God\u2019s making me into a sword and I just happen to be at the \u201cbeat the hell out of it stage\u201d. That\u2019s okay, because at the end, He will cool me off and polish me up and I will be sparkly and shiny and I will be a sword. And I\u2019m a girl, so shiny and sparkly work for me. <\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Alright, it\u2019s just occurred to my that my approach to Catholicism is almost all through analogy. Hmmmm\u2026 If you have patience and time for another one, here\u2019s how I explained Redemptive Suffering to a Baptist minister while in labor with our dead child. I could have included it in the Ru-486 post, as it was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1979,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-602","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n