Suffering

The Catholic Teaching and Explanation of the Cause of Suffering

“To them that love God, all things work together unto good.”

MANY people are intent on probing into the causes of suf­fering and are assailed by temptations against faith when they see its extension and magnitude in the world, for it seems to be irreconcilable with an all-good and loving God. Assuredly, for those who lack faith or disdain its light, for ‘John 4:13. those who heed only the light of reason and consider the natural order as supreme, for those who regard the natural goods of this life as absolute, for such as these, pain has no possible explanation. Neither can it be explained satisfac­torily to those who regard suffering as an instrument of the intellectual and moral dignity of man in the natural order, for it seems to have no adequate compensation; it does not even seem necessary, for all creatures attain their natural ends without such costly assistance.

Only in the light of the supernatural order do we find the key to the solution of this mystery. Actually, the natural order is not supreme and absolute; its goods have a purely relative value, as do its evils, which are merely privations of those goods. Wherefore, those very evils may be valued as good, inasmuch as they are or may be the

The Golry of Suffering

source of greater good. God may permit such evils in order to obtain greater good and this is what He has done.

It is not so important to know the reason for the existence of good and evil in the world as to know whether in that good or evil there shine forth an infinite power, wisdom, and goodness. The works of God can have no other purpose than the manifestation of His glory. And what we should seek to know is whether that glory shines forth in all things: whether we see His goodness, justice, wisdom, power, mercy, and love everywhere: in heaven, on earth, and in hell.

Assuredly, as long as we are enveloped in the darkness of this life, as long as the sun of eternity does not shine upon our souls, we shall not be able to contemplate these divine attributes clearly; but even in the midst of the darkness of faith we perceive brilliant gleams of light which fully sat­isfy our hearts. If we were to consider the infinite good we gain through suffering, we would change our lamentations into hymns of joy and exultation to our God who works such great marvels.

We shall understand this better if we bear in mind that, although the divine plan is not subject to man but that man is subject to the divine plan, nevertheless, when man subjects himself voluntarily to this plan, it seems, admirably enough, to be ordained solely for man’s good. As St. Paul says:

“To them that love God, all things work together unto good.” 

“Even sins,” add the commentators, but per­haps more than anything else, suffering.

After Christ died on the cross and sanctified suffering, He infused divinity into it, so to speak, and made it a kind of sacrament by means of which the graces of heaven de­scend upon earth. Suffering is the living cross on which and through which every man must be redeemed and saved. Christ redeemed us by giving us the power to redeem our­selves by means of His grace and His Cross. Every Christian is another Christ and as such must suffer and die in order to attain the glory of the resurrection.

This is the economy of suffering. Through it, all things are restored; the order of justice is re-established; man is reconciled with God, is re-instated in His friendship and grace, and attains sanctification. Suffering is, therefore, the eternal executor of the redemption of the world. The fact is that suffering is the great agent of our purification. Noth­ing defiled can enter the kingdom of heaven. No one can enter into the possession of God without first detaching himself from all that is not God, and that is what suffering effects in our hearts.