The faith of Christians is a call to love, however, this call is closely connected to the cross. The road that leads to glory and resurrection which Christ took is nothing less than the cross. Yes, the cross and Christian love are strongly linked.
You may ask: “Can a person not avoid suffering in life, especially when he has a firm belief that he is loved by God?” No! According to psychotherapists, the avoidance of suffering could bring about more suffering. On the contrary, those who are willing to face suffering achieve growth and strength. More often than not, suffering brings forth one’s potential for further development in life! Think of a child who often has toothaches but refuses to go to the dentist. Imagine what will happen to his/her teeth when growing up. He or she will have to bear the consequences of having unhealthy teeth for the rest of his/her life. Similarly, anyone who tries to avoid facing difficulties, or any sort of suffering, and continues to live with unresolved psychological problems, will gradually develop neurosis or psychosis.
Challenges in life come to make us better, not bitter. There is wisdom in challenges; you must look for them, according to Asad Meah. In fact, as the anonymous quote goes: “We don’t grow when things are easy; we grow when we face challenges.” And many experts advise those who may wish to grow in their journey “not to limit your challenges, challenge your limits and when life gets harder, challenge yourself to be stronger.”
But let’s go back to the heart of your question about how to reconcile God’s love and human suffering. In his design, God has not planned for our death. According to our catechesis, it is the “fruit” of original sin. But God, in his boundless love and mercy, embraced death for us, through His Incarnate Son, Jesus, so that we could be reborn as God’s adopted children. This truth of our Christian faith helps us have a healthy attitude in this life journey towards eternity; Jesus did not die on the cross only in view of his resurrection and victory over the Devil, but he also died for our salvation and for the love of the Father. If we accept the invitation of Jesus to love God and our neighbors, and therefore, pick up our daily crosses to follow him, we can obtain a new life of grace, not only for ourselves, but also for others around us.
Death and suffering have acquired new meaning in Christian faith. Life is to come about through suffering. Our participation in the suffering of Christ renders us partakers of His resurrection and turns us into credible followers. I would like to invite you to take a look at your parents’ hard work. They make sacrifices in order to offer you a good education and create opportunities for you to have a better future. On the other hand, if they continuously complained in front of you and your other siblings, and even your neighbors, for all their sacrifices, they are certainly not giving a good example as true loving and caring parents.
The “cross” that we encounter daily in life are opportunities to be embraced that make us grow into loving individuals and citizens who are capable of taking up responsibilities in promoting the common good. We Christians do not make use of our positions to amass illegitimate goods and gain profit at the expense of the people we serve. On the contrary, we make necessary sacrifices for them. Likewise, by adhering to the call of Jesus to love and serve our community and, therefore, by bearing willingly the cross of Jesus, we will become strong in faith and a steward of the kingdom of God. Therefore, as St. James told us in his letter, we can live our faith by our concrete charity and actions. And when we pray, our Father in heaven will listen to our prayers, just as He always hears the prayers of Jesus, for the good of all of us.
Fr. Eddie Hsueh
