- What did you find most helpful in Part III? Why?
- How do you feel knowing that we can question God about our suffering, with all the emotion of our hearts, full of dismay and anxiety, and God expects the question and listens to it (paragraph 10)? How does that help your relationship with him?
- Knowing that punishment “creates the possibility of rebuilding goodness in the subject who suffers” (paragraph 12), how can we assist others in rebuilding their goodness without making them feel condemned?
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March 3rd, 2006 at 4:19 pm
l. It is helpful to read about what I feel has happened in my life in my relationship with God. I know that God answers our questions if we only listen to him.
2. I had questioned God when my son died and I knew Jesus shares our sorrow. I questioned God again a year ago when I felt I was being led down the same path. I volunteer at Birth Right and I became involved in helping a young single pregnant mother return to the Church. I ended up being there for the birth of the baby which was a wonderful experience for me. A couple days later he came down with meningitis and had brain damage and the doctors said he would never walk, talk, see, hear or breathe on his own. Arrangements were made for his Baptism becames they were going to remove his breathing tube…I became his Godmother. As it turned out he removed his breathing tube in the night and surprised the nurses when he could breathe on his own. He also could hear and the doctors had no explanation…he was a miracle baby. He was in and out of the hospital so I spent many hours praying for him. He started having trouble breathing and stopped eating so he had surgery to put in a feeding tube and a breathing tube which had to be suctioned. As much as I loved him I told the mother that I couldn’t babysit any more because of my fear that something would happen. Once again I asked God why I had become attached to this mother and baby and share in this suffering. Then I was at Mass one day and it was the reading that day that spoke to me about trust. I understood suffering because of my son and I was to help this mother. I did babysit and had to deal with alarms going off and suctioned his tube but I am so thankful to have shared in his short life…he died when he was 14 months old. I was strong enough but didn’t know it…I was strengthened like gold tested in fire!
3. I think the only way to keep someone from feeling condemned is to set an example and make suggestions. Of course to always pray faithfully as St. Monica prayed for the conversion of St. Augustine.
October 7th, 2007 at 8:06 pm
1. Knowing that Love is the fullest source of the answer to the question of the meaning of suffering, it’s very important and helpful then is when we undersatnd that in true Love there is no fear; and we ask the question to ourselves are we in true love? how is that every time of trials and testings we only recognize this as punishments and don’t see them as as the rebuilding of goodness in us.
2. That to me is the best thing, knowing like if you are part of a team that you can go straight to the team leader and express all your concerns and feelings regarding something that affects you directly. And knowing that if we open our hearts and our minds and Listen! we will have an answer.
3. That is a very delicate situation, mainly because if we that we are trying to catch up with our faith and rebuild our relationship with God it’s sometimes difficult, try to make others understand and accept it is very hard, that is when our example comes along so we should try to teach and help others thorugh example. Letting them know that there are other ways to react when somebodyb is tested and don’t ask why but for what reason it happened? what was the purpose of that sorrow, affliction,and pain.
November 23rd, 2007 at 10:41 pm
Knowing that punishment “creates the possibility of rebuilding goodness in the subject who suffers†(paragraph 12), how can we assist others in rebuilding their goodness without making them feel condemned?…
I’ve spent some time this year thinking about this.. the first sorrowful mystery is the Agony in the Garden, not Condemned in the Garden. How often do I first condemn myself or others, standing in judgment, yet we’re directed in the first sorrowful mystery to reflect on the Agony of Our Lord? If we focus and reflect on the “agony” one undergoes, we’re much more able to act in compassion, I think. Instead of thinking, “Oh, this person did such-and-such, and what a callous mean thing to do,” what if we turned that around and reflected on Christ’s Agony in the Garden? Would this meditation on Christ’s Agony help us to have compassion to the people we are apt to condemn? It becomes then, not so much about my agony(suffering), but Christ’s agony, and a way to become open to the “agony” of that person we have trouble with, through Christ Jesus. We’re then open to God’s Mercy, full of gentleness and compassion and incredible creative. In the movie Bella, for example, we have two brothers reconciling with the gift of a new kitchen pot. Now that’s funny–and creative. Of course there are some relationships that cannot be reconciled because of a person’s destructive behaviors or death. But the creativity does not stop in these cases, With our will, we can fervently pray blessings on those who hurt us, thus creating space/moments for God’s graces of healing in mercy.
July 9th, 2008 at 3:02 am
1. When I suffer it may not be because I’m sinning. It may be an attack because I’m a Christian. Jesus never promised that life on this earth would be a bowl of cherries. There is much evil in this world, and I’m looking forward to the day when Jesus comes back to rule as King of kings and Lord of lords.
2. At times in my life I wondered why God allows suffering. The answer I get is because we live in a fallen world. What I mean is that Adam and Eve brought sin and suffering in this world when they ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. This brought punishment from God. This perspective helps me to realize that God’s first plan was for us to live in paradise on earth in the Garden of Eden.
3. We can encourage others to have courage when suffering. We can be a friend to listen to how they feel. We can bless them by spending time with them comforting and encouraging them.
August 17th, 2008 at 10:24 pm
What did you find most helpful in Part III? Why?
“Love is also the fullest source of the answer to the question of the meaning of suffering. This answer has been given by God to man in the Cross of Jesus Christ.”
Who can ever protest’”I do not deserve this!” while looking at the cross? He is the one who never ever sinned. Yet He suffered for us in His love for us. And to join in His suffering becomes a privilege, not a “punishment”, though it may be that too. The cross changes bitterness to hope. Not that I usually suffer without complaint! Far from it! But, at the end of the day, the cross is all that made it endurable. Maybe someday I will learn to count it all joy.
August 17th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
How do you feel knowing that we can question God about our suffering, with all the emotion of our hearts, full of dismay and anxiety, and God expects the question and listens to it (paragraph 10)? How does that help your relationship with him?
Well, it is good, because I have always done that anyway. I mean, you can’t put on a show, or fool God anyhow. So the only sensible thing is to be honest. Since I was raised believing you can always talk to God, I suppose I never thought to do anything else. I think if I could not just be honest with God and be able to pour out my heart, then I would have a much more distant relationship with Him.
August 17th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
Knowing that punishment “creates the possibility of rebuilding goodness in the subject who suffers” (paragraph 12), how can we assist others in rebuilding their goodness without making them feel condemned?
This is the hardest one. I don’t know if there is just one pat answer. People respond differently, so I suppose I could only pray and ask God’s leading in this regard. Sometimes, perhaps, one can simply share how God did this in one’s own life. But it really depends on the other person. Sometimes, just loving a person with God’s love is all one can do.
August 17th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
Thank you so much Gramsy for your touching story!
September 9th, 2008 at 9:52 am
I found most helpful:
1. I had the sense that I was not alone in having unpleasant thoughts by blaming God when things go wrong. I realize that I am among the evildoers and as stated in the reading: “Thank God that He loves everyone, even the evildoers.”
2. I have been speaking to God in regard to my suffering for quite a while. Actually, in an angry tone. I feel comfortable speaking to Him with my emotions, however, prior to this class and these readings, I felt deserted by God because nothing ever changed.
In reading Lesson 2, #10, I learned that God is listening and His answer is that I should turn to Him in humility and rely on His help because He is always there with open arms. He has not deserted me, but has a plan for me and my suffering.
3. This is a very sensitive situation. I have found that when people suffer they tend to build a wall around themselves, closing others out. It is difficult to reach them when their suffering is intense and they are questioning “why”?
I have a tendency to tell people that they need to trust God, but it is difficult to convince them at the moment.
I would hope that eventually, as their trust and closeness to God increases, they would be able to turn around their suffering to draw out their greatest qualities.
I now realize that through suffering one becomes stronger and closer to God.
November 12th, 2008 at 12:50 am
1. I found it interesting when it was pointed out that suffering comes from the world, yet we always want to put the blame on God.
2. I feel very comfortable going to God with anything. I know He is strong enough to handle anything I can throw at Him. I also trust that He will never leave me. I believe that He knows me better than I know myself and is already aware of my reactions and feelings so being able to “go to Him” is pretty natural for me.
3. I find that the best way to help people rebuild their goodness is to acknowledge and affirm what I find good in them, even if it has nothing to do with the subject they are suffering over. They will come to sort out their “punishment” on their own. If I can help them find back their self worth the rest will follow. It is very easy for me to be encouraging to others.
September 21st, 2009 at 2:55 am
1. I found out that when I ask “Why me”?, Why at “this time” or even saying “It’s unfair” and many WHY questions I am not only directing the question to the world but also to God who is our Creator. As Christians we should weigh our questions least we judge God as selfish and bringer of suffering.
2. I as a Christian feel confident to go to God through the Sacrament of Reconcilliation because He is Faithful and full of Love. I talk to him as a child talks to his father for something. I ask God to open my mind so as to see why I am suffering. I tell him just as Jesus told him “My Father, if this cup of suffering cannot be taken away from me unless I drink it, let your will be done” By obeying the laws given to us by the Lawgiver(God) we live nearer to goodness and thus avoid sin
Punishment sometimes rebuild goodness, when I was a child I used to steal petty things in the kitchen like sugar, when my mum notices it I was kinned and warned not to repeat the same. I thought mama does not love me but she was reshaping and rebuilding me to who I am today(a responsible person). As a Christian lets take the responsibility to bring those that have gone astray onboard even if it might cost us our reputation.
April 29th, 2010 at 2:06 am
I found love is the most perfect explaination of suffering to be the most thought provoking sentence. We are totally human and do not want suffering. But when we acknowledge what Christ suffered for our sins, we have the courage to try to endure, growing faith, hope and love. I think that when Jesus said if someone strikes you turn the other cheek, means when you are hurt and hurthing, do not respond to the world out of your hurt, turn the other check byresponding out of non hurt - out of love. When we suffer as Christ suffered we are being transformed into his divine image.
Talking to God about our suffering helps us to listen. It grows our ability to hear the heart of Jesus. There are some things that I am not yet ready to hear, so my conversations with God are still very one sided, but I am getting better. One thing I have stopped doing is asking God to take me out of my situation and I have started asking him to come into it! That was a huge shift in attitude for me and to my surprise it makes the difficulties a lot more interesting and purposeful.
How can we help build others goodness without making them feel condemned? Sympathy is recognising someones plight. Empathy is being able to put yourself in their shoes, and compassion is a spiritual response to their need. People who have helped me the most, have often never known that their act of kindness by deed or word meant a lot to me. So I think prayer for the person is the foundation, and then using whatever gifts we have for that situation. We go out and source the loaves and fishes and even if it is not much we give them to Jesus and then do what he tells us.