Suffering - Use It

 

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles.

In those days, some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won over the crowd. They stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, thinking he was dead. But when the disciples gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day, he left with Barnabas for Derbe.

After proclaiming the Gospel in that city and making many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch. There they strengthened the disciples and encouraged them to persevere in the faith, saying, “It is necessary to go through many tribulations to enter the kingdom of God.”
In each community, they appointed elders and, with prayer and fasting, entrusted them to the Lord in whom they had come to believe.

They then traveled through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia.
After preaching in Perga, they went down to Attalia, and from there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the mission they had now completed. Upon their arrival, they gathered the community and reported all that God had done through them and how He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.
They stayed there a long time with the disciples.

The Word of the Lord.
____  ____  ____

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John.

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give it to you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. You heard me say, ‘I am going away, but I will return to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.
I have told you this before it happens, so that when it does happen, you may believe. I will no longer speak much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming.
He has no power over me, but the world must know that I love the Father and that I do exactly what the Father has commanded me.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Reflection
Two very important points emerge in these readings.

I Tribulation leads to Salvation
In the first reading, Paul gives us a message: “It is necessary to go through many tribulations to enter the kingdom of God.”
You've probaby heard that word, “tribulation”, a hundred times, right? So what its tribulation?
Simply put - It is a moment of suffering.
It is the opposite of a joyous moment, if you prefer, at least in wordly terms.

Humanly speaking, we say: “Whoever does not know how to suffer, does not know how to live. “

Put another way, it may go like this -
“If you want something worthwhile, it will cost you.”
“Ïnto every sunny day, some rain may fall.”
Or, more simply, “Nothing good comes easy.”
There are many ways it may be said, but what it tells us can be expressed this way: "Whoever has not suffered, does not understand the value of life. Suffering teaches us to appreciate what we have.”

Spiritually, theologically, it is known as the Theology of Suffering – and it has immense application.
Every tribulation—whether it is an insult, persecution, rejection, or hardship we face while serving God — has a purpose. Or, rather, it has a deep theological use, by which we can use it to draw closer to God and to our personal holiness. In The Church, we like to say, "Offer It Up."
“Nada es casual,” you might hear in Spanish. Which means, "Don't take these things lightly. Put them to use."
When we walk with God, especially when we are evangelizing or serving in The Church, we will face difficulties.
But each one is necessary to reach the kingdom of God.

On an interesting, but related side-note, we find that many newer Protestant denominations gloss over, or even dispense with this Theology of Suffering. Not all do it, but the so-called modern “Theology of Prosperity,” denominations often focus on, blessing, success, and personal victory,” as indicators of ones faith.

Historically, early breakaway Christian figures like Martin Luther placed suffering at the center of Christian life. Luther’s idea of the theologia crucis (Theology of the Cross) held that God is most fully revealed not in power, success, or prosperity, but in weakness, rejection, and the suffering of Christ. Suffering wasn’t something to avoid or explain away—it was key for believers to be shaped and draw closer to God.
In contrast, there are modern movements in Christianity that are influenced by prosperity teaching, and they tend to side-line suffering. These so-called, prosperity gospel "movements" focus on, “blessing, success, and personal victory,” as indications of ones faith. Within that framework, suffering is usually seen as a lack of faith, an obstacle, or something for God to remove rather than to develop faith.

The result is a shift in emphasis:

• Classical theology: suffering has redemptive or formative value.

• Contemporary expressions: suffering should be minimized, explain away, or dispensed with.

Protestantism as a whole doesn't side-steps the Theology of Suffering. Rather, there's a conflict within it: The older, Cross-centered traditions vs. New Age, prosperity driven interpretations of faith.

Now, think about this:
How do you know if you are good, if you never face difficulty?
How do you know if you are patient, if nothing tests your patience?
How do you truly know you have faith, if your faith is never shaken?
Every tribulation helps reveal how much we truly love God and draws us closer to Him.
So we should not complain, or treat it like some flaw in faith. Instead, let it be a reason to glorify God. Tribulations show us how strong our faith is—not just when everything is easy, but when the storm comes. Jesus carried the very Cross upon which he would be killed. But in that tribulation – he kept His faith.
Difficult moments are what prove our faith, our love, and our patience.

And this leads to the second point: peace.

II. Peace

Jesus says, “My peace I give to you.” The message of the risen Christ is a message of peace.
But what is peace? Well, it may not be what you think.
The peace referred to here, and by Jesus, is inner calm and trust even when the outside world is in chaos. If I have peace within, it does not matter what is happening outside. The world may fall apart, but I do not lose my peace.
The problem is that we look for peace to happen outside oursevles, and while we wait for everything around us to calm down, our interior falls apart. Jesus does the opposite — He gives us an interior peace.
Friends, there will always be wars, sickness, difficult people, and hard situations. But what must never be missing is inner peace. If we lose that peace, we lose everything. But if we keep it, we can face anything.
So what should we do? Ask God for His peace. That peace is inner strength, acceptance, love, and trust in the midst of life’s challenges. The world outside may collapse, but if I have peace, I have everything. God is peace, and whoever has God lacks nothing.

But the first thing we often lose is peace. And when we lose it, we become anxious, angry, and restless. The world will always have conflict, but if we walk with God, we remain steady.
So today, let us ask the Lord to help us experience and protect that peace. We already have it available — do not lose it.
And remember - no one can take your peace — you let it slip away. So guard it....stay in peace.... stay in God.
Whoever remains in God has peace in their soul and heart—and lacks nothing.
So be encouraged. May the Lord give us His peace and help us face all the tribulations of this world with wisdom, calm, and strength.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.

May Almighty God bless and keep you...
+ In the name of The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen