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Suffering |
"The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him."
(Rom. 8:16-17)
"I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us."
(Rom. 8:18)
"But as it is, there are many parts, yet one body...
If (one) part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy."
(1 Cor. 12:20, 26)
"For to you has been granted, for the sake of Christ, not only to believe in him but also to suffer for him."
(Phil. 1:29)
"Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the
church" (Col. 1:24)
"Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone in good spirits? He should sing praise."
(Jms. 5:13)
"In this you rejoice, although now for a little while you may have to suffer through various trials,
so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire, may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ."
(1 Pt. 1:6-7)
"For whenever anyone bears the pain of unjust suffering because of consciousness of God, that is a grace. But what credit is there if you are patient when beaten for doing wrong? But if you are patient when you suffer for doing what is good, this is a grace before God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered
for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps.
'He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.' When he was insulted, he returned no insult; when he suffered, he did not threaten; instead, he handed himself over to the one who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body upon the cross, so that, free from sin, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed."
(1 Pt. 2:19-24)
"Now who is going to harm you if you are enthusiastic for what is good? But even if you should suffer because of righteousness, blessed are you. Do not be afraid or terrified with fear of them, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who defame your good conduct in Christ may themselves be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that be the will of God, than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered
for sins once, the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous, that he might lead you to God."
(1 Pt. 3:13-18)
"Therefore, since Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same attitude (for whoever suffers in the flesh has broken with sin), so as not to spend what remains of one's life in the flesh on human desires, but on the will of God."
(1 Pt. 4:1-2)
"Beloved, do not be surprised that a trial by fire is occurring among you, as if something strange were happening to you.
But rejoice to the extent that you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that when his glory is revealed you may also rejoice exultantly. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.
But let no one among you be made to suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as an intriguer.
But whoever is made to suffer as a Christian should not be ashamed but glorify God because of the name.
For it is time for the judgment to begin with the household of God; if it begins with us, how will it end for those who fail to obey the gospel of God?
'And if the righteous one is barely saved, where will the godless and the sinner
appear?' As a result, those who suffer in accord with God's will hand their souls over to a faithful creator as they do good."
(1 Pt. 4:12-19)
"Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for (someone) to devour.
Resist him, steadfast in faith, knowing that your fellow believers throughout the world undergo the same sufferings. The God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory through Christ (Jesus) will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you after you have suffered a little."
(1Pt. 5:8-10)
"Do not be afraid of anything that you are going to suffer. Indeed, the devil will throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will face an ordeal for ten days. Remain faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life."
(Rv. 2:10)
"There
can be no love
without suffering."
"Suffering
is a short pain and a long joy." (Bl. Henry Suso)
"All
suffering is slight to gain Heaven." (St. Joseph Calasanctius)
"To
suffer and not to suffer for God is torment." (St. Gerard
Majella)
"Your
sufferings press hard. But look at your sins." (St. Elizabeth
Ann Seton)
"God...gives
strength to suffer" (St. Bede the Venerable, Doctor of the
Church)
"[S]uffering
born patiently brings out all that is good in us." (Fr.
O'Sullivan)
"We
must love while we suffer, and we must suffer if we love."
(St. John Vianney)
"The
more we suffer, the more we are favored by God." (St. Jane
Frances de Chantal)
"One
should be patient, whatever one has to suffer" (St. Basil the
Great, Doctor of the Church)
"[T]here
the greater shall be our joy, the more we have suffered here
below." (Pope St. Gregory)
"O
loving Jesus, increase my patience according as my sufferings
increase." (St. Rita of Cascia)
"[It
was the] love of a suffering God that saved the world" (Pope
Pius XI, "Caritate Christi Compulsi", 1932)
"Suffering
out of love for God is better than working miracles." (St.
John of the Cross, Doctor of the Church)
"Nothing,
how little soever, that is suffered for God's sake, can pass
without merit in the sight of God." (Kempis)
"Can
we say that we are walking in His footsteps if we are not on the
road to Calvary?" (Liturgical Year)
"If
there be a true way that leads to the Everlasting Kingdom, it is
most certainly that of suffering, patiently endured." (St.
Colette)
"There
is no fecundity on earth without sufferings and trials, known
sometimes to men, sometimes to God alone." (Liturgical Year)
"Desire
earnestly always to suffer for God in every thing and on every
occasion." (St. Teresa of Avila, Doctor of the Church)
"[F]aith
alone can understand the mystery of suffering, having penetrated
its secret in the Passion of our Lord" (Liturgical Year)
"Blessed
be He, who came into the world for no other purpose than to
suffer." (St. Teresa of Avila, Doctor of the Church)
"Is
there anything that a generous heart would not willingly suffer on
contemplating Jesus crucified?" (St. Raphaela Mary)
"The
purest suffering bears and carries in its train the purest
understanding." (St. John of the Cross, Doctor of the Church)
"Learn
to suffer a little for the love of God without telling everyone
about it." (St. Teresa of Avila, Doctor of the Church)
"It
is not God's way that great blessings should descend without the
sacrifice first of great sufferings." (Cardinal Newman)
"No
man is fit to comprehend heavenly things who hat not resigned
himself to suffer adversities for Christ." (Thomas a Kempis)
"Let
us go to the foot of the Cross and there complain (of our
sufferings) - if we have the courage." (St. Madeleine Sophie
Barat)
"Five
minutes' suffering borne for love of Jesus is of greater value to
us than years and years of pleasure and joy." (Fr.
O'Sullivan)
"If
you wish to enjoy the glory and bliss of God, bear with patience
the suffering and bitterness of the world." (Attr. to St.
Lawrence)
"Offer
suffering to God and it can become 'an instrument of salvation, a
path to holiness, that helps us reach Heaven'" (Pope John
Paul II)
"When
the children are suffering the heart of the Father ought more than
ever to go out to them." (Pope St. Pius X, "Une Fois
Encore", 1907)
"It
is only by sacrifice and suffering, offered as penance, that you
will be able, by the grace of God, to convert sinners." (St.
John Vianney)
"God
suffered all the dreadful pains of His Passion for each one of us.
How can we refuse to suffer a little for love of Him?" (Fr.
O'Sullivan)
"Let
us keep our spirits up and suffer in patience, because after this
there follows joys in the beautiful kingdom of heaven." (Bl. Henry Suso)
"Bodily
suffering makes wicked souls miserable, but borne with fortitude
it purifies the souls that are good." (St. Augustine, Doctor
of the Church, 4th
century A.D.)
"[S]uffering
with patience, resignation, and humility is something far more
glorious and more desirable than the most glittering
scepters" (Butler)
"Can
you expect to go to Heaven for nothing? Did not our dear Savior
track the whole way to it with His Blood and tears?" (St.
Elizabeth Ann Seton)
"Jesus,
I want to live as long as you will; I want to suffer as you will
me to; I want to die as soon as you will it." (St. Clement
Maria Hofbauer)
"Thank
the good God for having visited you through suffering. If we knew
the value of suffering, we would ask for it." (Bl.
Brother
Andre Bessette)
"One
act of thanksgiving when things go wrong with us is worth a
thousand thanks when things are agreeable to our
inclination." (St. John of Avila)
"Those
who suffer for the love of God help Jesus carry His cross, and if
they persevere they will share His glory in heaven." (St.
Paul of the Cross)
"Whenever
anything disagreeable or displeasing happens to you, remember
Christ crucified and be silent." (St. John of the Cross,
Doctor of the Church)
"Many
suffer, but few know how to suffer well. Suffering is a gift from
God; blessed is he who knows how to profit by it." (St. Padre
Pio of Pietrelcina)
"Almighty
God could have saved us from all suffering, but He did not do so
because He knows in His infinite goodness that suffering is good
for us." (Fr. O'Sullivan)
"There
is no doubt that suffering is the greatest trial against our
faith; it causes us either to lose it or to strengthen it."
(Gabriele Amorth, Chief Exorcist of Rome)
"Suffering
is a great favor. Remember that everything soon comes to an
end...and take courage. Think of how our gain is eternal."
(St. Teresa of Avila, Doctor of the Church)
"[I]t
is better to be punished and cleansed now than to be sent to the
torment to come, when it will be time for punishing only, and not
for cleansing" (St. Gregory of Nazianz, Doctor of the Church, c. 373)
"He
who knoweth how to suffer will enjoy much peace. Such a one is a conqueror of himself and lord of the world, a friend of
Christ, and an heir of heaven." (Kempis)
"It
is more through suffering and persecution than through eloquent
preaching, that God wills to establish his kingdom in souls."
(St. Therese of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church)
"We
complain when we suffer. We have much more reason to complain when
we do not suffer, since nothing so likens us to our Lord as the
bearing of his Cross." (St. John Vianney)
"If
then, He that had no necessity of being crucified was crucified
for our sake, how much more, then, ought we bear all things
nobly?" (St. John Chrysostom, Doctor of the Church, c. 403
A.D.)
"A
good Religious complained one day: 'O Lord, what have I done to be
treated thus?' Our Lord answered him: 'And I, what had I done when
I was led to Calvary?'" (St. John Vianney)
"There
is nothing that we suffer for the honor of God, however little it
may be, that is not more serviceable to us than if we possessed
the domination of the world." (Archbishop
Ullathorne)
"Lord
Jesus Christ, who came into this world as a man an suffered your
Passion, allowing your hands to be nailed to the cross for our
sins, give me the strength to endure my passion." (St. Boris
of Kiev)
"May
you receive and relish sweet comfort from Jesus' sufferings and
wounds, and may you know how pleasant it is to suffer insults and
to be accounting as nothing, all for his holy name." (Thomas
a Kempis)
"As
in Heaven, nothing will be sweeter than to resemble Him in His
glory, so here on earth, nothing is more to our advantage than to
be like Him in His Passion." (St. Robert Bellarmine, Doctor
of the Church)
"Be
proud that you are helping God to bear the Cross, and don't grasp
at comforts. It is only mercenaries who expect to be paid by the
day. Serve Him without pay." (St. Teresa of Avila, Doctor of
the Church)
"[We
must] understand clearly that if we remain clam, serene, and
patient, suffering loses all its sting, but the moment we get
excited, the smallest
suffering increase a hundredfold." (Fr.
O'Sullivan)
"The
mystery of the Redemption of the world is in an amazing way rooted
in suffering, and this suffering in turn finds in the mystery of
the Redemption its supreme and surest point of reference."
(Pope John Paul II)
"Life
goes down to be killed; Bread goes down to suffer hunger; the Way
goes down to be exhausted on his journey; the Spring goes down to
suffer thirst; and you refuse to suffer?" (St. Augustine,
Doctor of the Church)
"You
wonder why God, who is goodness itself, allows us to suffer...
But, what would you think of a doctor who lost his patient because
he was afraid to give him the necessary but unpleasant
treatment?" (St. John Vianney)
"We
should strive to keep our hearts open to the sufferings and
wretchedness of other people, and pray continually that God may
grant us that spirit of compassion which is truly of the Spirit of
God." (St. Vincent de Paul)
"[E]very
suffering is a gain, persecution has no terrors; for the effect of
persecutions and sufferings is to assimilate him, together with
his mother the Church, to Christ persecuted, scourged, and
crucified." (Liturgical Year)
"To
suffer gladly for Christ is the Christian's glory, the invisible
beauty which wins for his soul the good pleasure of God, and
procures him a reward in heaven." (Attr. to
St. Augustine, Doctor of the Church)
"No
suffering borne out of love for Christ, even poorly borne, will go
unrewarded in eternal life. Trust and hope in the merits of Jesus
and in this way even poor clay will become finest gold which will
shine in the palace of the king of heaven." [St. Pio of
Pietrelcina (Padre Pio)]
"This,
in short, is the difference between us and others who know not
God, that in misfortune they complain and murmur, while adversity
does not call us away from the truth of virtue and faith, but
strengthens us by its suffering." (St. Cyprian)
"He
who suffers tribulations in this world, should, in the first
place, abandon sin and endeavor to recover the grace of God; for
as long as he remains in sin, the merit of all his sufferings is
lost." (St. Alphonsus Liguori, Doctor of the Church)
"An
unpitied pain wins greater merit before God. Never say to God:
'Enough,' simply say: 'I am ready!' When it is all over, you will
not regret having suffered; rather you will regret having suffered
so little and suffered that little so badly." (Bl.
Sebastian
Valfre)
"Let
us, then, brethren, courageously resolve to bear patently with all
the sufferings which shall come upon us during the remaining days
of our lives: to secure Heaven they are all little and
nothing." (St. Alphonsus Liguori, Doctor of the Church)
"[T]he
greatest joy and exaltation are born only of suffering, and hence
that we should rejoice if we partake of the sufferings of Christ,
that when His glory shall be revealed we may also be glad with
exceeding joy." (Pope Pius XII, "Mystici Corporis
Christi", 1943)
"I
thank you, O good Jesus, because I have learned with some little
experience what you did condescend to suffer for me on the Cross,
where your most holy body was not even sustained with cords, but
hung by your hands and feet, transfixed with hardest nails."
(St. Isaac Jogues)
"In
every person suffering from hatred and violence, or rejected by
selfishness and indifference, Christ continues to suffer and die.
On the faces of those who have been 'defeated by life' there
appear the features of the face of Christ dying on the
Cross." (Pope John Paul II)
"It
has pleased you, Lord, to keep me until this time. I thought, for
a while, that you had rejected me as being a stone not fit for
your building; but now that you call me to take my place in it, I
am ready to suffer that I may have a part in your kingdom with all
your saints." (St. Serenus)
"I
would like to make everyone understand the great grace that God,
in His mercy bestows when He sends suffering, especially suffering
devoid of consolation. Then indeed the soul is purified like gold
in the furnace; without knowing it, it becomes radiant and is set
free to take flight to its Good." (St. Paul of the Cross)
"[Jesus]
did not announce for a future society the reign of an ideal
happiness from which suffering would be banished; but, by His
lessons and by His example, He traced the path of the happiness
which is possible on earth and of perfect happiness in Heaven: the
royal way of the Cross." (Pope St. Pius X, "Our Apostolic
Mandate")
"And
we ask all you who suffer to support us. We ask precisely you who
are weak to become a source of strength for the Church and
humanity. In the terrible battle between the forces of good and
evil, revealed to our eyes by our modern world, may your suffering
in union with the Cross of Christ be victorious!" (Pope John
Paul II)
"[T]he
consequences of sin are bitter and hard to bear, and they must
accompany man as long as life lasts. To suffer and to endure,
therefore, is the lot of humanity; let them strive as they may, no
strength and no artifice will ever succeed in banishing from human
life the ills and troubles which beset it." (Pope Leo XIII, "Rerum Novarum")
"Suffering
must serve for conversion, that is, for the rebuilding of goodness
in the subject, who can recognize the divine mercy in this call to
repentance. The purpose of penance is to overcome evil, which
under different forms lies dormant in man. Its purpose is also to
strengthen goodness both in man himself and in his relationships
with others and especially with God." (Pope John Paul II)
"The
more Jesus intends to raise a soul to perfection, the more He
tries it by suffering. So rejoice, I say to you, in seeing
yourself so privileged, in spite of your unworthiness. The more
you are afflicted, the more you ought to rejoice, because in the
fire of tribulation the soul will become pure gold, worthy to be
placed and shine in the heavenly palace." [St. Pio of
Pietrelcina (Padre Pio)]
"With
the heart of a father We exhort all those who from whatever cause
are plunged in grief and anguish to lift their eyes trustfully to
heaven and to offer their sorrows to Him who will one day reward
them abundantly. Let them all remember that their sufferings are
not in vain, but that they will turn to their own immense gain and
that of the Church, if to this end they bear them with
patience." (Pope Pius XII, "Mystici Corporis
Christi", 1943)
"[Suffering]
is not simply an evil, for no one suffered more than the Son of
God Himself, more than His Blessed Mother or more than the Saints.
Every suffering comes from God. It may appear to come to us by
chance or accident or from someone else, but in reality, every
suffering comes to us from God. Nothing happens to us without His
wish or permission. Not even a hair falls from our heads without
His consent." (Fr.
O'Sullivan)
"From
[meditation on the mysteries of the Rosary], the young will draw
fresh energy with which to control the rebellious tendencies to
evil and to preserve intact the stainless purity of the soul; also
in it, the old will again find repose, relief and peace from their
anxious cares... and to all those who suffer in any way,
especially the dying, may it bring comfort and increase the hope
of eternal happiness." (Pope Pius XI, "Ingravescentibus
Malis", 1937)
"Christ
suffers voluntarily and suffers innocently...Christ gives the
answer to the question about suffering and the meaning of
suffering not only by his teaching, that is by the Good News, but
most of all by his own suffering, which is integrated with this
teaching of the Good News in an organic and indissoluble way. And
this is the final, definitive word of this teaching: 'the word of
the Cross', as Saint Paul one day will say." (Pope John Paul
II)
"[A]ccording
to Galatians 5:24, 'They that are Christ's have crucified their
flesh with the vices and concupiscences.' Hence to suffer as a
Christian is not only to suffer in confession of the faith, which
is done by words, but also to suffer for doing any good work, or
for avoiding any sin, for Christ's sake, because this all comes
under the head of witnessing to the faith." (St. Thomas
Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the
history of the Church")
"The
world of suffering possesses as it were its own solidarity. People
who suffer become similar to one another through the analogy of
their situation, the trial of their destiny, or through their need
for understanding and care, and perhaps above all through the
persistent question of the meaning of suffering. Thus, although
the world of suffering exists 'in dispersion', at the same time it
contains within itself a. singular challenge to communion and
solidarity." (Pope John Paul II)
"He
therefore sent His angel, who spake unto Joseph in his sleep, and
told him that his spouse had conceived of the Holy Ghost, and that
he was to abide with her in all surety and joy. Whereupon, the
tribulation ceased, and they were both exceedingly comforted. So
likewise would it befall us if we would suffer patently, for after
a storm God brings a calm. Neither oughtest thou to doubt this,
for God sufferth not His servants to be afflicted save for their
good." (St. Bonaventure, Doctor of the Church)
"The
words of that prayer of Christ in Gethsemane prove the truth of
love through the truth of suffering. Christ's words confirm with
all simplicity this human truth of suffering, to its very depths:
suffering is the undergoing of evil before which man shudders. He
says: let it pass from me', just as Christ says in Gethsemane. His
words also attest to this unique and incomparable depth and
intensity of suffering which only the man who is the only-begotten
Son could experience" (Pope John Paul II)
"But
different kinds of sufferings are imposed on us to test and prove
us, and many forms of temptations are inflicted upon us by loss of
wealth, burning fevers, torments of wounds, by the death of dear
ones. Nothing else distinguishes the unjust and the just more than
this, that in adversities the unjust man complains and blasphemes
because of impatience, while the just man is proved by patience,
as it is written: 'I thy sorrow endure and in thy humiliation keep
patience, for gold and silver are tried in fire.'" (St.
Cyprian of Carthage)
"I
realize and confess, O my God, before heaven and earth, that you
are just, and that I deserve this suffering, and a thousand times
more, for the least of my sins. That is the reason I will embrace
this affliction with all my heart to the glory of your divine
justice, in submission to your sacred will, in honor of the
terrible sufferings you endured on earth, in satisfaction for my
sins, in fulfillment of your plans that you have made about me,
and as something that comes from your most amiable hands and from
your heart full of love for me." (St. John Eudes)
"Dear
Lord, I am now convinced that without patience suffering I cannot
merit a reward in heaven. It is you who must give me patience in
suffering. I make the resolution to accept with patience all the
trials and sufferings that will come into my life. I know that so
often, in spite of my resolutions, I have become despondent when I
was asked to carry a cross; but if I do not learn to suffer for
love of you, I shall suffer without merit. My Jesus, by the merits
of the patience with which you suffered so many pains for love of
me, give me the grace to bear my crosses for love of you."
(St. Alphonsus Liguori, Doctor of the Church)
"If
we are true Christians, we must desire to be ever with Jesus
Christ. Now, where are we to find this loving Savior of our souls?
In what place may we embrace Him? He is found in two places: in
His glory and in His sufferings: on His throne and on His cross.
We must, then, in order to be with Him, either embrace Him on His
throne, which death enables us to do; or else share in His cross,
and this we do by suffering; hence we must either suffer or die,
if we would never be separated from our Lord. Let us suffer then,
O Christians; let us suffer what it pleases God to send us:
afflictions, sicknesses, the miseries of poverty, injuries,
calumnies; let us try to carry, with steadfast courage, that
portion of His cross, with which He is pleased to honor us."
(Bossuet)
"Moreover,
to bear and to suffer is the ordinary condition of man. Man can no
more create for himself a life free from suffering and filled with
all happiness than he can abrogate the decrees of his Divine
Maker, who has willed that the consequences of original sin should
be perpetual. It is reasonable, therefore, not to expect an end to
troubles in this world, but rather to steel one's soul to bear
troubles, by which we are taught to look forward with certainty to
supreme happiness. Christ has not promised eternal bliss in heaven
to riches, nor to a life of ease, to honors or to power, but to
long-suffering and to tears, to the love of justice and to
cleanness of heart." (Pope Leo XIII, "Tametsi Futura
Prospicientibus", 1900)
"For
Christ had earnestly longed for the crown of thorns and its
sufferings in order that He might atone for the sins of crowned
heads...Christ also wished to atone for the many sins of thought
whereby we have so often offended Him, for thoughts of pride and
vanity, for thoughts of worldliness, for uncharitable thoughts,
and finally for the impure thoughts and imaginations of unchaste
people. When the head suffers, necessarily all the member suffer,
because they are joined to the head in the unity of the body.
Whoever, therefore, does not or will not suffer, whoever leads a
sumptuous life, whoever pursues all sorts of pleasures or
complacently wallows in sinful lusts cannot possibly belong to a
body whose head is pierced with thorns." (Fr.
Groenings)
"I
love you, O my God. My only desire is to love you, until the last
breath of my life. I love you, O infinitely loveable God, and I
prefer to die loving you rather than to live for an instant
without you. I love you, O my God, and I desire only to go to
heaven to have the happiness of loving you perfectly. I love you,
O my God, and my only fear is to go to hell because one will not
have the sweet solace of loving you there. O my God, if my tongue
cannot say at all times that I love you, at least I want my heart
to repeat it to you as I breath. Ah! Do me the grace to suffer
while loving you, to love you while suffering. And, that when I
die, I not only will love you, but experience it in my heart. I
beg you that the closer I come to my final end, you will increase
and perfect my love for you. Amen." (St. John Vianney)
"We
are men of little faith; we cannot understand the trials God sends
to our brethren, and we are often tempted to believe that He has
forsaken them, because He sends them a cross. We are men of little
love, too; worldly tribulation seems an evil to us, and we think
ourselves hardly dealt with, at the very time when our God is
showing us the greatest mercy. We are like the mother of the sons
of Zebedee; we would hold a high and conspicuous place near the
Son of God, forgetting that we must first merit it, by drinking of
the chalice that He drank, that is, the chalice of suffering. We
forget, too, that saying of the apostle: 'That we may be glorified
with Jesus, we must suffer with Him!' (Rom. viii. 17) He, the just
and All holy, entered not into His rest by honors, and pleasures:
the sinner cannot follow Him, save by treading the path of
penance." (Gueranger)
"Jesus
Christ, when He redeemed us with plentiful redemption, took not
away the pains and sorrows which in such large proportion are
woven together in the web of our mortal life. He transformed them
into motives of virtue and occasions of merit; and no man can hope
for eternal reward unless he follow in the blood-stained
footprints of his Savior. 'If we suffer with Him, we shall also
reign with Him.' Christ's labors and sufferings, accepted of His
own free will, have marvelously sweetened all suffering and all
labor. And not only by His example, but by His grace and by the
hope held forth of everlasting recompense, has He made pain and
grief more easy to endure; 'for that which is at present momentary
and light of our tribulation, worketh for us above measure
exceedingly an eternal weight of glory.'" (Pope Leo XIII,
"Rerum Novarum", 1891)
"[I]n
the life of a Christian, the intellect must be entirely subject to
God's authority. And if, in this submission of reason to
authority, our self-love, which is so strong, is restrained and
made to suffer, this only proves the necessity to a Christian of
long-suffering not only in will but also in intellect. We would
remind those persons of this truth who desire a kind of
Christianity such as they themselves have devised, whose precepts
should be very mild, much more indulgent towards human nature, and
requiring little if any hardships to be borne. They do not
properly understand the meaning of faith and Christian precepts.
They do not see that the Cross meets us everywhere, the model of
our life, the eternal standard of all who wish to follow Christ in
reality and not merely in name." (Pope Leo XIII, "Tametsi
Futura Prospicientibus", 1900)
"In
the Cross of Christ not only is the Redemption accomplished
through suffering, but also human suffering itself has been
redeemed,. Christ, - without any fault of his own - took on
himself 'the total evil of sin'. The experience of this evil
determined the incomparable extent of Christ's suffering, which
became the price of the Redemption... The Redeemer suffered in
place of man and for man. Every man has his own share in the
Redemption. Each one is also called to share in that suffering
through which the Redemption was accomplished. He is called to
share in that suffering through which all human suffering has also
been redeemed. In bringing about the Redemption through suffering,
Christ has also raised human suffering to the level of the
Redemption. Thus each man, in his suffering, can also become a
sharer in the redemptive suffering of Christ." (Pope John
Paul II)
"Suffering
is, in itself, an experience of evil. But Christ has made
suffering the firmest basis of the definitive good, namely the
good of eternal salvation. By his suffering on the Cross, Christ
reached the very roots of evil, of sin and death. He conquered the
author of evil, Satan, and his permanent rebellion against the
Creator. To the suffering brother or sister Christ discloses and
gradually reveals the horizons of the Kingdom of God: the horizons
of a world converted to the Creator, of a world free from sin, a
world being built on the saving power of love. And slowly but
effectively, Christ leads into this world, into this Kingdom of
the Father, suffering man, in a certain sense through the very
heart of his suffering. For suffering cannot be transformed and
changed by a grace from outside, but from within. And Christ
through his own salvific suffering is very much present in every
human suffering, and can act from within that suffering by the
powers of his Spirit of truth, his consoling Spirit." (Pope
John Paul II)
"And
yet it must be said that it seems to have been predetermined by
the counsel of God that there should be no salvation to men
without strife and pain. Truly, though God has given to man pardon
for sin, He gave it under the condition that His only begotten Son
should pay the due penalty; and although Jesus Christ might have
satisfied divine justice in other ways, nevertheless He preferred
to satisfy by the utmost suffering and the sacrifice of His life.
Thus he has imposed upon His followers this law, signed in His
blood, that their life should be an endless strife with the vices
of the age. What made the apostles invincible in their mission of
teaching truth to the world; what strengthened the martyrs
innumerable in their bloody testimony to the Christian faith, but
the readiness of their soul to obey fearlessly His laws? And all
who have taken heed to live a Christian life and seek virtue have
trodden the same path; therefore We must walk in this way if We
desire either Our own salvation or that of others." (Pope Leo
XIII, "Exeunte Iam Anno", 1888)
"Those
who share in Christ's sufferings have before their eyes the
Paschal Mystery of the Cross and Resurrection, in which Christ
descends, in a first phase, to the ultimate limits of human
weakness and impotence: indeed, he dies nailed to the Cross. But
if at the same time in this weakness there is accomplished his
lifting up, confirmed by the power of the Resurrection, then this
means that the weaknesses of all human sufferings are capable of
being infused with the same power of God manifested in Christ's
Cross. In such a concept, to suffer means to become particularly
susceptible, particularly open to the working of the salvific
powers of God, offered to humanity in Christ. In him God has
confirmed his desire to act especially through suffering, which is
man's weakness and emptying of self, and he wishes to make his
power known precisely in this weakness and emptying of self. This
also explains the exhortation in the First Letter of Peter: 'Yet
if one suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but under
that name let him glorify God'." (Pope John Paul II)
"Down
through the centuries and generations it has been seen that in
suffering there is concealed a particular power that draws a
person interiorly close to Christ, a special grace. To this grace
many saints, such as Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Ignatius of
Loyola and others, owe their profound conversion. A result of such
a conversion is not only that the individual discovers the
salvific meaning of suffering but above all that he becomes a
completely new person. He discovers a new dimension, as it were,
of his entire life and vocation. This discovery is a particular
confirmation of the spiritual greatness which in man surpasses the
body in a way that is completely beyond compare. When this body is
gravely ill, totally incapacitated, and the person is almost
incapable of living and acting, all the more do interior maturity
and spiritual greatness become evident, constituting a touching
lesson to those who are healthy and normal. This interior maturity
and spiritual greatness in suffering are certainly the result of a
particular conversion and cooperation with the grace of the
Crucified Redeemer." (Pope John Paul II)
"How
sweet to suffer for Jesus Christ! I cannot find words energetic
enough to tell you what I feel, more especially since I have been
confined in prison, where we are forced to observe a continual
fast. The strength of my body has left me, but the joy of my heart
increases in proportion to the prospect of a speedy death. What a
happiness it will be if I am permitted to sing next Easter Sunday
the Haec Dies in heaven! Had you tasted the sweet delight which
God has poured into our souls, you would indeed despise the good
things this world affords. Since I have been in prison for His
sake, I feel that I am a disciple of Jesus. I now find myself
fully compensated for the pangs of hunger, by the consoling
sweetness which filled my soul and were I to be immured in prison
for years, the time would appear to me to be short, so much do I
desire to suffer for Him who rewards me so liberally for my pains.
Among other illnesses, I have had a fever raging within me which
lasted a hundred days, without the possibility of being relieved.
During all this time my joy has been so great, that I find it
useless to describe it in words." (St. Spinola)
"To
the prospect of the Kingdom of God is linked hope in that glory
which has its beginning in the Cross of Christ. The Resurrection
revealed this glory - eschatological glory - which, in the Cross
of Christ, was completely obscured by the immensity of suffering.
Those who share in the sufferings of Christ are also called,
through their own sufferings, to share in glory. Paul expresses
this in various places. To the Romans he writes: ' We are ...
fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order
that we may also be glorified with him. I consider that the
sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the
glory that is to be revealed in us'. In the Second Letter to the
Corinthians we read: 'For this slight momentary affliction is
preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,
because we look not to the things that are seen but to things that
are unseen'. The Apostle Peter will express this truth in the
following words of his First Letter: 'But rejoice in so far as you
share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad
when his glory is revealed'." (Pope John Paul II)
"The
Cross of Christ throws salvific light, in a most penetrating way,
on man's life and in particular on his suffering. For through
faith the Cross reaches man together with the Resurrection: the
mystery of the Passion is contained in the Paschal Mystery. The
witnesses of Christ's Passion are at the same time witnesses of
his Resurrection. Paul writes: 'That I may know him (Christ) and
the power of his Resurrection, and may share his sufferings,
becoming like him in his death, that if possible I may attain the
resurrection from the dead'. Truly, the Apostle first experienced
the 'power of the Resurrection' of Christ, on the road to
Damascus, and only later, in this paschal light, reached that '
sharing in his sufferings' of which he speaks, for example, in the
Letter to the Galatians. The path of Paul is clearly paschal:
sharing in the Cross of Christ comes about through the experience
of the Risen One, therefore through a special sharing in the
Resurrection. Thus, even in the Apostle's expressions on the
subject of suffering there so often appears the motif of glory,
which finds its beginning in Christ's Cross." (Pope John Paul
II)
"The
witnesses of the Cross and Resurrection were convinced that
'through many tribulations we must enter the Kingdom of God'. And
Paul, writing to the Thessalonians, says this: 'We ourselves boast
of you... for your steadfastness and faith in all your
persecutions and in the afflictions which you are enduring. This
is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be made
worthy of the Kingdom of God, for which you are suffering'. Thus
to share in the sufferings of Christ is, at the same time, to
suffer for the Kingdom of God. In the eyes of the just God, before
his judgment, those who share in the suffering of Christ become
worthy of this Kingdom. Through their sufferings, in a certain
sense they repay the infinite price of the Passion and death of
Christ, which became the price of our Redemption: at this price
the Kingdom of God has been consolidated anew in human history,
becoming the definitive prospect of man's earthly existence.
Christ has led us into this Kingdom through his suffering. And
also through suffering those surrounded by the mystery of Christ's
Redemption become mature enough to enter this Kingdom." (Pope
John Paul II)
"It
is the reflection of St. Austin, that if, with the martyrs, we
seriously considered the rewards that await us, we should account
all trouble and pains in this life as nothing; and should be
astonished that the divine bounty gives so great a salary for so
little labor. To obtain eternal rest, should require, if it had
been possible, eternal labor; to purchase a happiness without
bounds, a man should be willing to suffer for a whole eternity.
That indeed is impossible; but our trials might have been very
long. What are a thousand years, or ten hundred thousand ages, in
comparison to eternity? There can be no proportion between what is
finite, and that which is infinite. Yet God in his great mercy
does not bid us suffer so long. He says, not a million, or a
thousand years, or even five hundred, but only labor the few years
that you live; and in these the dew of my consolations shall not
be wanting; and I will recompense your patience for all with a
glory that has no end. Though we were to be loaded with miseries,
pain, and grief our whole life, the thoughts of heaven alone ought
to make us bear its sharpest trials with cheerfulness and
joy." (Butler)
"The
glorious Resurrection of our Jesus eloquently teaches us how to
look upon the crosses sent us by God. However great may be our
future trials, we are not likely to be nailed to a cross, between
two thieves. [Yet this] is what the Son of God had to undergo: but
did the sufferings of the Friday mar the kingly splendor of the
Sunday's triumph? Nay, is not his present glory redoubled by his
past humiliations? Therefore let us not be cowards when our time
for sacrifice comes; let us think of the eternal reward that is to
follow. These two disciples did not know that it was Jesus who was
speaking to them; and yet he sooner explained to them the plan of
God's wisdom and goodness, that they understood the mystery of
suffering. Their hearts burned within them at hearing him explain
how the cross leads to the crown; and he had he not held their
eyes that they should not know him, they would have discovered
from his words that their instructor was Jesus. So will it be with
us, if we will allow him to speak to us. We shall understand how
'the disciple is not above the Master.' ...[Let us] exclaim with
the Apostle: No! 'the sufferings of this time are not worthy to be
compared with the glory to come, that shall be revealed in
us.'" (Gueranger)
"In
the light of the unmatchable example of Christ, reflected with
singular clarity in the life of his Mother, the Gospel of
suffering, through the experience and words of the Apostles,
becomes an inexhaustible source for the ever new generations that
succeed one another in the history of the Church. The Gospel of
suffering signifies not only the presence of suffering in the
Gospel, as one of the themes of the Good News, but also the
revelation of the salvific power and salvific significance of
suffering in Christ's messianic mission and, subsequently, in the
mission and vocation of the Church. Christ did not conceal from
his listeners the need for suffering. He said very clearly: 'If
any man would come after me... let him take up his cross daily',
and before his disciples he placed demands of a moral nature that
can only be fulfilled on condition that they should 'deny
themselves'. The way that leads to the Kingdom of heaven is 'hard
and narrow', and Christ contrasts it to the 'wide and easy' way
that 'leads to destruction'. On various occasions Christ also said
that his disciples and confessors would meet with much
persecution, something which - as we know - happened not only in
the first centuries of the Church's life under the Roman Empire,
but also came true in various historical periods and in other
parts of the world, and still does even in our own time."
(Pope John Paul II)
"The miseries of this present life are the test to which God
puts His soldiers; He passes judgment upon them, and classifies
them, according to the degree of courage they have shown.
Therefore is it, that we have all our share of suffering. The combat
has commenced. God is looking on, watching how each of us comports
himself. They day is not far off, when the Judge will pass
sentence on the merits of each combatant, and award to each one
the recompense he has won. Combat now; peace and rest and a crown,
then. Happy they who, during these days of probation, have
recognized the mighty hand of God in all the trials they have had,
and have humbled themselves under its pressure, lovingly and
confidently! Against such Christians, who have been strong in
faith, the roaring lion has not been able to prevail. They were
sober, they were watchful, during this their pilgrimage. They were
fully convinced of this, that every one has to suffer in the
present life; they therefore never sighed and moaned, as though
they were the only sufferers; they did not assume the attitude of
victims, and call it resignation; but they took each trial as it
came, and, without talking to every one about it, they quietly and
joyously united it with the sufferings of Christ. O true
Christians! You will be joyous for all eternity, where there will
be made the manifestation of that eternal glory in Christ Jesus,
which He will pass on to you, that you may share it with Him for
ever!" (Liturgical Year)
"My
Lord, you ask me to suffer, and so my poor soul desires to do
that. But, O Jesus, I want to suffer only with you, for love of
you; to suffer in silence and solitude so that only you would know
that I suffer, only you would hear the moaning of my heart and see
my tears. Ah, Lord, teach me to suffer in this way. Teach me to
suffer without seeking any compassion or sympathy from creatures,
to suffer without even looking forward to the eternal joys of
heaven. Teach me to suffer not because suffering is the source of
merit and glory, but because it leads us to union with you and
makes our hearts like unto yours. Teach me to suffer with such a
love for your divine will that I would not choose my own crosses
but humbly accept those that you yourself give; that I would not
even for a moment desire any relief; and that I would not even
know how to long for heaven unless you alone, O Lord, fill my
heart with this yearning. Teach me to so love suffering as you
loved the cross; teach me to so desire suffering as you desired
it. Teach me to suffer with such silence, purity, and love as your
most pure Mother suffered when you left her orphaned on this
earth. As you permitted her, so permit me to die form this sorrow,
longing, and loving, and then do with me as you please. Grant only
that I may love you forever" (Bl.
Mary Angela Truszkowska)
"Do
not think that your burden is heavy; it is very light, compared
with what you deserve to bear and with what Jesus Christ our Lord
bore for your sake; it is slight indeed in comparison to the
reward it will bring you. Remember that we shall soon quit this
world, and then all the past will seem to us like a short dream,
and we shall see that it is better to have labored than to have
rested here. Learn how to profit by your sorrows, for they bring
great riches to the soul. They cleans it from past sin; what fire
is to gold, that tribulation is to the just man, whose heart if
purifies. Trials only injure the wicked, for instead of being
grateful to God they murmur against Him. Their punishment does
them no good, because they turn their sufferings into sins, and so
lose where they might have gained, earning hell by painful labor.
Do not imitate them, but let your courage increase with your
trials. God proves His sons by sorrow, and no one will be crowned
but that he has been through the combat. St. James says: Blessed
is the man who endureth temptation, for when he hath been proved,
he shall receive the crown of life (Jms. 1:4), which God promises
to those who love Him. If only we realized the value of this
crown, how gladly should we now suffer affliction! Would that we
understood how blessed, both now and hereafter, are the tears we
shed in this life... Live here as a stranger, your body on earth,
but your heart above, so that when our Lord calls you, He may not
find you sleeping, but ready to go with Him, and to hear the sweet
words: Well done, thou good and faithful servant, enter thou into
the joy of the Lord (Mt. 25:21)." (St.
John of Avila)
"Then,
be it that the 'earth is accursed' and brings forth 'thistles and
thorns,'- be it that the soul is saddened
with grief and the body with sickness; even so, there will be no
evil which the envy of man or the rage of devils can invent, nor
calamity which can fall upon the individual or the community, over
which we shall not triumph by the patience of suffering. For this
reason it has been truly said that 'it belongs to the Christian to
do and to endure great things,' for he who deserves to be called a
Christian must not shrink from following in the footsteps of
Christ. But by this patience, We do not mean that empty stoicism
in the enduring of pain which was the ideal of some of the
philosophers of old, but rather do We mean that patience which is
learned from the example of Him, who 'having joy set before Him,
endured the cross, despising the shame' (Heb. xii., 2). It is the
patience which is obtained by the help of His grace; which shirks
not a trial because it is painful, but which accepts it and
esteems it as a gain, however hard it may be to undergo. The
Catholic Church has always had, and happily still has, multitudes
of men and women, in every rank and condition of life, who are
glorious disciples of this teaching, and who, following faithfully
in the path of Christ, suffer injury and hardship for the cause of
virtue and religion. They re-echo, not with their lips, but with
their life, the words of St. Thomas: 'Let us also go, that we may
die with him' (John xi., 16). May such types of admirable
constancy be more and more splendidly multiplied in our midst to
the weal of society and to the glory and edification of the Church
of God!" (Pope Leo XIII, "Laetitiae Sanctae", 1893)
"Saint
Paul speaks of such joy in the Letter to the Colossians: 'I
rejoice in my sufferings for your sake'. A source of joy is found
in the overcoming of the sense of the uselessness of suffering, a
feeling that is sometimes very strongly rooted in human suffering.
This feeling not only consumes the person interiorly, but seems to
make him a burden to others. The person feels condemned to receive
help and assistance from others, and at the same time seems
useless to himself. The discovery of the salvific meaning of
suffering in union with Christ transforms this depressing feeling.
Faith in sharing in the suffering of Christ brings with it the
interior certainty that the suffering person 'completes what is
lacking in Christ's afflictions' (cf. Col. 1:24); the certainty that in the spiritual dimension of
the work of Redemption he is serving, like Christ, the salvation
of his brothers and sisters. Therefore he is carrying out an
irreplaceable service. In the Body of Christ, which is ceaselessly
born of the Cross of the Redeemer, it is precisely suffering
permeated by the spirit of Christ's sacrifice that is the
irreplaceable mediator and author of the good things which are
indispensable for the world's salvation. It is suffering, more
than anything else, which clears the way for the grace which
transforms human souls. Suffering, more than anything else, makes
present in the history of humanity the powers of the Redemption.
In that 'cosmic' struggle between the spiritual powers of good and
evil, spoken of in the Letter to the Ephesians, human sufferings,
united to the redemptive suffering of Christ, constitute a special
support for the powers of good, and open the way to the victory of
these salvific powers." (Pope John Paul II)
"[P]eople
react to suffering in different ways. But in general it can be
said that almost always the individual enters suffering with a
typically human protest and with the question 'why'. He asks the
meaning of his suffering and seeks an answer to this question on
the human level. Certainly he often puts this question to God, and
to Christ. Furthermore, he cannot help noticing that the one to
whom he puts the question is himself suffering and wishes to
answer him from the Cross, from the heart of his own suffering.
Nevertheless, it often takes time, even a long time, for this
answer to begin to be interiorly perceived. For Christ does not
answer directly and he does not answer in the abstract this human
questioning about the meaning of suffering. Man hears Christ's
saving answer as he himself gradually becomes a sharer in the
sufferings of Christ. The answer which comes through this sharing,
by way of the interior encounter with the Master, is in itself
something more than the mere abstract answer to the question about
the meaning of suffering. For it is above all a call. It is a
vocation. Christ does not explain in the abstract the reasons for
suffering, but before all else he says: 'Follow me!' Come! Take
part through your suffering in this work of saving the world, a
salvation achieved through my suffering! Through my Cross.
Gradually, as the individual takes up his cross, spiritually
uniting himself to the Cross of Christ, the salvific meaning of
suffering is revealed before him. He does not discover this
meaning at his own human level, but at the level of the suffering
of Christ. At the same time, however, from this level of Christ
the salvific meaning of suffering descends to man's level and
becomes, in a sense, the individual's personal response. It is
then that man finds in his suffering interior peace and even
spiritual joy." (Pope John Paul II)
"One
could certainly extend the list of the forms of suffering that
have encountered human sensitivity, compassion and help, or that
have failed to do so. The first and second parts of Christ's words
about the Final Judgment unambiguously show how essential it is,
for the eternal life of every individual, to 'stop', as the Good
Samaritan did, at the suffering of one's neighbor, to have
'compassion' for that suffering, and to give some help. In the
messianic program of Christ, which is at the same time the program
of the Kingdom of God, suffering is present in the world in order
to release love, in order to give birth to works of love towards
neighbor, in order to transform the whole of human civilization
into a 'civilization of love'. In this love the salvific meaning
of suffering is completely accomplished and reaches its definitive
dimension. Christ's words about the Final Judgment enable us to
understand this in all the simplicity and clarity of the Gospel.
These words about love, about actions of love, acts linked with
human suffering, enable us once more to discover, at the basis of
all human sufferings, the same redemptive suffering of Christ.
Christ said: 'You did it to me'. He himself is the one who in each
individual experiences love; he himself is the one who receives
help, when this is given to every suffering person without
exception. He himself is present in this suffering person, since
his salvific suffering has been opened once and for all to every
human suffering. And all those who suffer have been called once
and for all to become sharers 'in Christ's sufferings', just as
all have been called to 'complete' with their own suffering 'what
is lacking in Christ's afflictions' (cf. Col. 1:24)" (Pope John Paul II)
"While
it is true that suffering has a meaning as punishment, when it is
connected with a fault, it is not true that all suffering is a
consequence of a fault and has the nature of a punishment. The
figure of the just man Job is a special proof of this in the Old
Testament. Revelation, which is the word of God himself, with
complete frankness presents the problem of the suffering of an
innocent man: suffering without guilt. Job has not been punished,
there was no reason for inflicting a punishment on him, even if he
has been subjected to a grievous trial. From the introduction of
the Book it is apparent that God permitted this testing as a
result of Satan's provocation. For Satan had challenged before the
Lord the righteousness of Job: 'Does Job fear God for naught? ...
Thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have
increased in the land. But put forth thy hand now, and touch all
that he has, and he will curse thee to thy face'. And if the Lord
consents to test Job with suffering, he does it to demonstrate the
latter's righteousness. The suffering has the nature of a test." (Pope John Paul II)
"The
parable of the Good Samaritan belongs to the Gospel of suffering.
For it indicates what the relationship of each of us must be
towards our suffering neighbor. We are not allowed to 'pass by on
the other side' indifferently; we must 'stop' beside him. Everyone
who stops beside the suffering of another person, whatever form it
may take, is a Good Samaritan. This stopping does not mean
curiosity but availability. It is like the opening of a certain
interior disposition of the heart, which also has an emotional
expression of its own. The name 'Good Samaritan' fits every
individual who is sensitive to the sufferings of others, who 'is
moved' by the misfortune of another. If Christ, who knows the
interior of man, emphasizes this compassion, this means that it is
important for our whole attitude to others' suffering. Therefore
one must cultivate this sensitivity of heart, which bears witness
to compassion towards a suffering person. Some times this
compassion remains the only or principal expression of our love
for and solidarity with the sufferer. Nevertheless, the Good
Samaritan of Christ's parable does not stop at sympathy and
compassion alone. They become for him an incentive to actions
aimed at bringing help to the injured man. In a word, then, a Good
Samaritan is one who brings help in suffering, whatever its nature
may be. Help which is, as far as possible, effective. He puts his
whole heart into it, nor does he spare material means... A Good
Samaritan is the person capable of exactly such a gift of self.
Following the parable of the Gospel, we could say that suffering,
which is present under so many different forms in our human world,
is also present in order to unleash love in the human person, that
unselfish gift of one's 'I' on behalf of other people, especially
those who suffer. The world of human suffering unceasingly calls
for, so to speak, another world: the world of human love; and in a
certain sense man owes to suffering that unselfish love which
stirs in his heart and actions. The person who is a 'neighbor'
cannot indifferently pass by the suffering of another: this in the
name of fundamental human solidarity, still more in the name of
love of neighbor. He must 'stop', 'sympathize', just like the
Samaritan of the Gospel parable." (Pope John Paul II)
"Great
indeed are the advantages of tribulations. The Lord sends them to
us not because he wishes our misfortune, but because he desires
our welfare. Hence, when they come upon us, we must embrace them
with thanksgiving, and must not only resign ourselves to the
divine will, but must also rejoice that God treats us as he
treated his son Jesus Christ, whose life upon this Earth was
always full of tribulation." (St. Alphonsus Liguori, Doctor
of the Church)
Also
See: Suffering
& Death | Adversity
| Affliction
| The
Cross / Crosses | Death
& Dying [Pg.] | Necessity
of / Reasons for Suffering | Pain
| Sickness
/ Illness | Sorrow
/ Sorrows | Trials
& Tribulations | Words
of Advice (Suffering) | Words
of Encouragement (Suffering) | Suffering
& Death | Misc.
(Suffering & Death) | Preparing
For Death | Perseverance
| Suffering
(Topical Scripture)
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