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ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS HERALD |
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THE UGLY HEAD OF SUFFERING Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, (currently Pope Benedict the XVI) who did the funeral eulogy for Pope John Paul II mentioned that in his suffering the Pope has showed us his desire to do the will of God. In the last will of Pope John Paul II we found out that in 2000 he reflected upon whether he should continue as the Pope in view of the infirmities that he had. A couple of years ago, Billy Graham was asked about his suffering. Billy Graham has the same problem as the pope - he is suffering from Parkinson’s. The reporter asked Billy Graham how he can justify suffering. After all, if there is one person that has made God known to the world, it is Billy Graham. God could have instituted some protective clauses and made sure that at least the Pope and Billy Graham had perfect health. [As Tevia would say in Fiddler on the Roof, “Is this too much to ask, would it confuse some plan - if I were a wealthy (healthy) man!”] Billy Graham started his answer by saying, “Why not me? Why should God make me the exception?” He went on to describe the fallen condition of humanity and how because of the penetration of sin in our humanity, rain falls over the good and the evil, and sickness comes over the good and the evil. In fact the Bible tells us that the whole creation groans waiting for the redemption of the children of God. Moreover, we who are redeemed groan, waiting for the day of the redemption, when sorrow and tears will be no more. Then Apostle Paul adds one new element when he tells us that the Holy Spirit groans in the prayers that He utters on our behalf. The Holy Spirit, who is the Comforter of God’s children prays for us and strengthens us in the time of our greatest need. None of us understands suffering and all of us would like to eliminate it. Yet suffering is a part and parcel of the fallen nature, it is a consequence of our rebellion against the will of God. While I am not a medical doctor who understands the complexities of various sicknesses and how the human body resists and succumbs, in my personal and pastoral reflections I was clinging to one word for many years and that is the word intent. What is the intent that God has for me as a human being, as a husband, as father, as a pastor as a citizen in this community? The reality is that in all of these relationships I have caused pain. I have caused pain to God, to my wife, to my children, to my friends. Sometimes I caused pain by not being attentive; sometimes I caused pain by being selfish, sometimes I caused pain because I enjoyed sin more than righteousness. Apostle Paul tells us that God’s will for us is good and perfect. Again Paul tells his friends that he has made up his mind that he will not cause them pain. There are many things that I do not understand, but I want to be able to do those things that are good. I want to make sure that I do not do things to my body that will cause pain later on. I want to live my life so that others will not say, “He is such a pain!”
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