Our ex Catholic friend in the combox criticizes Catholics for indulging in a theology of suffering.<\/p>\n
Didn\u2019t the Master say we must \u2018take up our cross and follow him\u2019 if we would be his disciple? Now what could that possibly mean except that we ought not only expect, but accept the suffering that comes to us? Would our critical friend like to quarrel with the verses that not only predict persecution and suffering but also tell us to \u201cRejoice when you are persecuted?\u201d<\/p>\n
What shall we make of St Paul saying that he \u201cbears his body the marks of the suffering of the Lord.\u201d Was he the first stigmatist? How about the curious remark of St Paul that \u2018he completes through his sufferings the sufferings of the Lord.\u201d? It would seem that St Paul not only took the Lord\u2019s idea that he would have to \u2018take up he cross seriously\u2019 but he understood a profound truth, that as we take up our cross we somehow co-operate with the sufferings of Christ for the redemption of the world.<\/p>\n
This is where the Catholic tradition of \u2018offering up\u2019 one\u2019s suffering comes from. We believe that we too, in some profound and disturbing way, may join our sufferings with the greater redemptive suffering of our Lord himself.<\/p>\n
Dismiss it as negativity if you will, by all means buy into the \u2018power of positive thinking\u2019 but don\u2019t imagine that such a worldly philosophy is Christianity. Imagining your suffering away is actually one of the tenets of a Protestant sect called Christian Science, and the idea that \u2018If you only have enough faith you\u2019ll be healed\u2019 or \u2018If you only believe enough your suffering will end\u2019 is a false gospel that needs to be exposed for what it is.<\/p>\n
Does this mean we disbelieve in Christian healing and that we pooh pooh all reports of miracles and marvels? Of course not. We believe firmly in miracles and marvelous healing. We pray that God will heal and we rejoice when he does, but along with this we realize that Jesus himself went through torture, suffering and death, and that he told us that if we want to be his disciple we should not expect to be spared.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Our ex Catholic friend in the combox criticizes Catholics for indulging in a theology of suffering. Didn\u2019t the Master say we must \u2018take up our cross and follow him\u2019 if we would be his disciple? Now what could that possibly mean except that we ought not only expect, but accept the suffering that comes to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":557,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2860","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n