Lesson 4 - SALVIFICI DOLORIS
- How have you experienced the redemptive love of Jesus through your own sufferings?
- What did you learn from writing your Passion Story?
- Have your ideas of what Christ’s crucifixion accomplished been changed by this part of the document? How so?
March 11th, 2006 at 2:29 pm
1. I have suffered through death, divorce and illness which has drawn me closer to Jesus. He will always come to us when we need him. He is like Simon to us and helps us to carry our crosses. I experienced his love through a little girl after the death of my son. I experienced his love through my friends who helped me deal with my divorce and becoming a single parent. I experienced his love through the friends that gave me rides after my accident caused by epilepsy. I had made a commitment to God to be at Morning Prayer at Church every morning by 6:30. After my accident I asked Him how he expected me to get to Church for the next 6 months…the next day 2 different friends said they would give me a ride. I know that Jesus shares in our sufferings just as we share in his suffering. I know that we can be the hands and feet of Jesus to reach out to those who are suffering and help to carry their cross…we are all the body of Christ.
2. We understand someone’s suffering when we have experienced it ourselves. For example we think we know what it would be like to be told we have a terminal illness but we really don’t until it happens to us. It helps us to write our Passion Story so we can better understand Christ’s suffering. I am glad that I wrote my Passion Story during Lent so I can reflect on it each week at the Way of the Cross. When I saw the “Passion of Christ” I started to close my eyes when they were driving the nails into his hands but then I made myself watch because he suffered for us out of love and I should see his pain out of love for him.
3. I think this part of the document has helped me to better understand suffering with Christ. I knew he helped me in my suffering and I had felt his suffering but I don’t think I had ever put them together as one.
December 3rd, 2007 at 11:42 pm
I used to have a tremendous temper and sharp wit. Reflecting on Christ’s Passion, however, I see Jesus standing still and not taking the bait to lash out. Look at the sour wine offered to him, or how the people jeered him. There have been times when I’ve wanted to lash out; most recently because I didn’t like someone’s remarks. But I decided not to lash out with temper or sharp wit. Instead I offered my hurts to God and used my will to respond to this person in kindness and generosity. (Of course, that’s God’s grace in itself.) Now, I don’t know what will happen in this case, but I can place my hope in Jesus who is and will redeem our sufferings if we offer it to Him. That’s what I learned from this chapter. The pain isn’t lessened; but bearing things in Christ’s love makes the pain worthwhile, not wasted. It will bear fruit… the fruits for me are to practice and grow in patience and love! And these are virtues we need more of in this world.
July 15th, 2008 at 2:11 am
1. Yes I have. I have suffered persecution because Jesus loves me. God’s redemption of love keeps me in the faith, for if I can endure suffering on this world, I can live with Him in eternity.
2. My suffering is very small compared to Jesus’ death and suffering. Even though this is the case, I appreciate more of what Jesus had suffered at the cross.
3. Yes. This document has made me appreciate more of what Jesus did for me at the cross. The reason for this is that this document vividly showed Christ’s sufferings and made me visualize some of my sufferings too.
September 14th, 2008 at 11:39 pm
1. I have learned to trust Jesus more and to give my suffering to Him. I realize that suffering brings salvation and I have now found peace in my suffering.
2. Previous to this class, the Crucifixion of Christ was simply a story read and taught to me in Religious and Bible classes. By writing my Passion Story and connecting my suffering to Jesus’ suffering, I could actually experience the kind of pain that He felt. I wept as I recalled instances of suffering and hurt, ridicule and rejection in my life. However, as I closed my eyes in pain, I saw Jesus’ face and truly understood what He did for us.
3. Yes, my ideas of what Christ’s crucifixion accomplished have changed. The crucifixion is no longer a story I read in the Bible. I now can identify every stage of Christ’s passion because I can “feel” his suffering by relating my suffering with His.
December 3rd, 2008 at 9:39 am
1.I have discovered that if I turn to Him when I am suffering every situation is much easier to handle. I also come away with a deeper faith and approach the next hurdle with more confidence and peace. I also can accept my own human failings with more compassion.
2. By writing my Passion story I discovered that much of my suffering is brought on by myself. I do not stand up in defense of Christ, the Church, myself or my loved ones. Then I feel very guilty that I am so weak. After all God has done for me, why do I wimp out and not defend truth?
3. This document has helped me see the crucifixion in a much broader sense. I have a better understanding of His suffering for humanity, not just individuals. I am becoming more aware of the weakness and limitations we all share because we are human. In this increased understanding I am finding more compassion for all people, not just those I love.
September 28th, 2009 at 12:54 am
1. I have suffered through illness both mine and my family, loss of job when i needed capital badly because my wife had just delivered a baby girl. This affected me to the point of thinking that God hates me and there was no point to live. I cried out aloud and entered into prayer for me and my family before the mercy of God. To my surprise after afew months God answered me. That is when I realized that God wanted me to learn something from my past evils. I went for reconcilliation with Him through the Sacrament of Penance and things started coming back to normal. Jesus rescued me and my love for my family that was lukewarm grew stronger and stronger.
2. To understand someone’s suffering is difficult unless one experiences and understands his own sufferings. By writing my own Passion Story and putting myself in the shoes of those who suffer, I have pity on them. I used to quickly shut my eyeswhenever I saw someone suffering but now I have learnt that God wants me to look at them and do something about it. The suffering of any Christian affects others as we are all membersof one body. I also visualized in a broader way the suffering Christ underwent during His Passion and Later death on the Cross.
3. Yes, Christ suffered and died for me and you for the salvation of humankind. Christ did not say NO to suffering and yet He had power and authority to refuse this suffering. But so that the words of the Scripture can be accomplished, He humbled Himself to die on the cross so that humanity can be saved. God did NOT want to see Jesus suffer and die, rather, He wanted to show us to what extent He is prepared to go into forgiving us, in bearing our rejection and in sharing in our sufferings. In this sense, then, we say it was necessary for Christ to suffer.
Nb: There is nothing good about suffering; but there is something good in being prepared to suffer if it comes to us as part of our mission(salvific suffering).
May 28th, 2010 at 10:38 pm
1-3. I have looked with amazement at the goodness of Jesus and at what he endured.
How? Why?
Jesus source of strength was to do the Fathers Will, and his hope was because his father is good.
His Father is love. He trusted his Father to bring good out of it. It has made me look for good in my
suffering, and I have found it to be a source of very valuable lessons. Treasure - and while I
never ever enjoy or want or desire suffering, I have come to trust God more, that will never allow
suffering to be unproductive. Now I am learning to look at things in a new way. The other day I
was walking my dogs along the beach, and there was rubbish left from the weekend everywhere,
McDonalds wrappers, beer cans, alcopop drink bottles. The old me would have ranted and raved,
complained about the behaviour of people who didn’t care, but because Jesus is now my example
I said ” You know Lord - people throw garbage around and dump things, and they do not care
about the beautiful environment that you have made, please help them” and he said to me “Yes, it
is like that in many marriages - people careless drop unkind words, cruel words, neglectful words,
hurtful words, without thinking about the beautiful environmen I want them to be in” So inspired by
the example of Mother Tereasa I said ” Well then - if I am to be your hands- the body of Christ -
how about I pick up this garbage in on the beach and you clean up some hearts, and use my
rubbish collecting to help build stronger marriages in our community”
It has turned a source of pain into a source of joy.