Such a wonderful insightful column! Suffering seems to come up in my reading lately and you gave me a lot to think about. I always appreciate and learn so much from you—your insights are always thoughtful and helpful. Keep up the good work!
Once again, to misquote something I heard not too long ago,"Christ didn't die to save us from suffering. He died to show us the way to suffer."
I have been very impressed how our Catholic brothers and sisters have a much more robust theology of suffering than the Protestant (especially Evangelical) strains. We could do ourselves a great favor by listening to and learning from their lessons.
We Christians pray for much that God will not give in this age. (I pray for relief of pain and for peace among men, yes, but I pray more often for the salvation of those whom God has not predestined to be saved.) What purpose is served by this practice? I think the main purpose is pleasing God. A loving father wants to hear his children tell him their desires even though that loving father will not give them what they want.
Such a wonderful insightful column! Suffering seems to come up in my reading lately and you gave me a lot to think about. I always appreciate and learn so much from you—your insights are always thoughtful and helpful. Keep up the good work!
Once again, to misquote something I heard not too long ago,"Christ didn't die to save us from suffering. He died to show us the way to suffer."
I have been very impressed how our Catholic brothers and sisters have a much more robust theology of suffering than the Protestant (especially Evangelical) strains. We could do ourselves a great favor by listening to and learning from their lessons.
We Christians pray for much that God will not give in this age. (I pray for relief of pain and for peace among men, yes, but I pray more often for the salvation of those whom God has not predestined to be saved.) What purpose is served by this practice? I think the main purpose is pleasing God. A loving father wants to hear his children tell him their desires even though that loving father will not give them what they want.
Those Catholics that remind you of the Presbyterian might be surprised that you haven't read St John Paul II's encyclical on redemptive suffering: https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_letters/1984/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_11021984_salvifici-doloris.html