Suffering: A Christian Perspective

SUFFERING: A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE

Cl. Mario D’Couto SDB

            The truths revealed to us by God which pertain to the baptized Christian with regard to suffering, include the following,

Ø  The mystery of human suffering only makes ultimate sense when seen with the eyes of faith.
Ø  Though sin brought suffering into this world, through this “happy fault” Christ’s love also came into our lives.
Ø  Through finding ourselves in Christ and uniting our suffering with His we can come to know and share with others a personal God who is made visible in the everydayness of life.


            These three realities run parallel to three other aspects of suffering which include, faith – inwardness, sinfulness – limitation and union with Christ. Though faith is a gift, it roots and anchors itself in our natural interiority or inwardness; sinfulness makes us concretely aware of our limitations; and union with Christ’s Passion definitely influences our attitude towards suffering. The inwardness we experience in suffering discloses our limitations and in this inner reflective stance we determine our attitude depending on the kind of choice that we make. 

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