-   Catholic / Christian Meaning to Suffering - In light of what has been said, perhaps we Christians should ask ourselves about our attitude towards suffering. Do we consider suffering as evil? If so, we would try either to escape from suffering or to submit to it as the inevitable that comes from God.

We hear some Christians say that suffering is a punishment from God. An elderly woman in anguish came to me and said, "I have been praying hard and yet I still suffer. A Christian told me that it is due to my sins. I told him/her that I have confessed to God my guilt, that I am sorry and that I will not sin again. He replied that I have secret sins of which I am unaware because if I were sinless, I would experience peace, joy and no suffering." The good-intentioned Christian was completely wrong. He should have found out first the kind of suffering the lady had. If it were a physical suffering, for example, arthritis, he should have said that this was the cause of some natural phenomenon - say, perhaps she slept with the fan blasting at her. He should then add that she should pray for a cure and seek medical help but more important she should learn how to bear the suffering in a Christian way, thus giving praise to God and edifying other people. If the poor woman was suffering from some psychological problem, she should be helped psychologically. And it were some spiritual suffering, she should be helped spiritually, exhorting her to patience in the words of Saint Paul: "More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurances and endurances produces character and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us." - Romans 5:3-5 - 

Obviously, this good-intentioned Christian took all suffering to be evil. He did not know of the difference between evil and suffering. If suffering is the consequence of evil only, as suggested by the good-intentioned Christian, how is it that Our Lord Jesus who is sinless (without sin) also suffered and died on the cross? Furthermore, Our Lord Jesus Christ did promise us not only reward but also persecution (suffering). "Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you." - Matthew 5:11-12 - Surely, we belief in the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible tells us that suffering is also a Christian vocation. The Apostles were persecuted and some put to death, for example, Saint Peter and Saint Paul. After the Apostles, the early Church suffered 10 waves of persecution. The Book of Revelation or the Apocalypse was written during one of these persecutions to encourage Christians to persevere in their faith in spite of suffering imposed upon them by wicked and evil men. Christians today are still being harassed in many places. Not only do we suffer persecution and false accusations from without the Christian Church but also from within. Tracts and pamphlets, attacking the Catholic Christians from other Christians denomination, as well as from non-Christians abound. (A few examples of anti-Catholic Literature (a) Swaggart, Jimmy, "A Letter to my Catholic Friends." (b) Brewer, Bartholomew F., "Scriptural Truths for Roman Catholics." (c) Mrs. Ulfat Aziz-us-Samad, Islam: A Universal Religion, BUJPMKL (d) Chiniguy, Charles, "The Gift." (e) Jack Chick's Anti-Catholic Comic Books. (f) Pazzotta, Anthony P., "Truth and Tradition." (g) Norris, Alfred, "An Appeal to Roman Catholics." (h) Rev. Tom, Timothy, "The Church of Rome: Its Origin and Growth." (i) _ , "The Great Whore Emerging" from Periodical Banner." (j) Rev. Testa, Stephen L. "List of Heresies", Tabernacle Baptist Church.)    

Most of the time, this anti-Catholic literature is full of half-truths, fallacious, hypothetical and conjectural which is worst than outright lies. Lies can easily be recognized. Half-truths are insidious because most Catholic Christians who are not well versed in the understanding of their faith, fall prey to these half-truths. Take a simple example. A certain B. F. Brewer in his pamphlet says, "The Bible teaches that 'Faith' secures the remission of sins (Acts 10:43) while Roman Catholicism teaches that the 'Sacraments' (in addition to faith) do." - (8) Brewer, Bartholomew F. (Ph.D) "Scriptural Truths for Roman Catholics". He is supposed to have been a former Roman Catholic Priest. If he were, then he must have purposely distorted Catholic teachings to suit his anti-Catholic stance. This would make him more guilty.    

THE FIRST DECEITFUL TWIST IN Brewer's statement is the putting into brackets "in addition to faith". If he were to leave this out, it would be an obvious lie. As it stands, it is half-truth because he is saying that Catholic do speak of faith that brings "remission of sins" but they do not pay much attention to it, rather they say that it is the :"Sacraments" that save them. This is not Catholic teaching. Catholic believe that Jesus Christ is the Saviour and this is our faith. Sacraments are aids to help us live out that faith in Christ in our daily lives. We, who are weak, constantly need Christ's grace. Sacraments is one of the means to obtain Christ's help. To go to the sacrament without faith is meaningless and useless. This is our belief. Now, we see how Brewer has stealthily distorted our teaching - a "quarter-truth", if I may be permitted to coin a phrase, to put Catholics down. We should not be surprised at all these anti-Catholic lies and half-truths. The Apostles themselves complained that their teachings were distorted. Hence Paul warned his disciples. "So Brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter." - 2 Thessalonians 2:15 - Again Paul warned "For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own liking and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths. - 2 Timothy 4:3-4 - Saint Peter says, "There are some things in them (Paul's epistles) hard to understand which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures." - 2 Peter 3:16 - In the face of these campaigns against us, let the words of the Lord console us: "Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you... ." Indeed, not only the Gospels but also the history of Christianity attest that the Christian vocation is charged with suffering.

There is floating around in the world that incorrect and wrong teaching that goes against the Gospels and reality. It denies not only that any good can come from suffering but also that all sufferings are evil. It may be that these good intentioned Christians are misled by a trend to emphasis only the joy of the Spirit of the Resurrected Lord Jesus to the exclusion of the Cross of Christ. There is no Christianity without the Cross or the Resurrection (joy of the Spirit). Our faith, in consonance with the reality of suffering as coming from the limitedness of Man as explained above, tells us that suffering can be turned into a source of salvation for mankind. Suffering is then endured with joy in the Spirit. Our Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross is the supreme example.

The question Christians should ask is not we can escape from suffering but how we can bring meaning into suffering. The Christian philosopher Paul Claudel said, "Jesus has not come to take away suffering. He has come to fill it with his presence."

Keeping in mind what I have said about suffering and evil from the Christian point of view, I would like to share with you how I see meaning in suffering. (9) You may say that I inject meaning into suffering. It is not what the meaning truly is of suffering. Hence, it is subjective. My answer is that all meanings are injected into things and events by human beings. Without human beings, there is no such thing as meaning. Firstly, I try to avoid inflicting suffering on others and causing myself to suffer. When suffering does come my way, either from the natural causes of Nature, for example, cancer that I have contracted or from an intentional evil act by a human being, I accept it with faith and love, offering cheerfully with Christ for the salvation of mankind, saying with Saint Paul: "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the Church." - Colossians 1:24 - With this attitude of faith and love, I can turn what is meaningless into what is meaningful power of salvation. I can change what is bitter in itself to what is joyful pain for the salvation of others. It will lighten my burden in suffering. This is for me is what Jesus meant when He said: "Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." - Matthew 11:29-30 - This will also help me to be more compassionate with those whose suffer. I will grow spiritually - Romans 5:35 - and become a better human being. Christ himself was made perfect through suffering - Hebrews 2:10 - How much more do we need to go through suffering to become more human, we who are so sinful?

BY  His Grace Bishop Paul Tan Chee Ing, S.J.  -  Straight to Catholics - 

-   WELCOME TO SACRED SCRIPTURE / WORD OF GOD / HOLY BIBLE READER'S COMMUNITY   - 

Just as God originally inspired the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible, He has used this means to preserve His Word for future generations. But behind the writing lay periods of time when these messages were circulated in spoken form. [Oral Tradition] The stories of the patriarchs were passed from generation to generation by word of mouth before they were written. [Written Tradition] The messages of the prophets were delivered orally before they were fixed in writing. Narratives of the life and ministry of Christ Jesus were repeated orally for two or three decades before they were given written form.

Wishing you, 'Happy Reading', and may God, the Father, the Son of the living God, Jesus Christ, fills your heart, mind, thoughts, and grants you: The Holy Spirit, that is, Wisdom, Knowledge, Understanding, Counsel, Piety, Fortitude, Fear of the Lord, and also His fruits of the Holy Spirit, that is, Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Trustfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control. Amen! God blessing be upon you!

Why do you call Me, "Lord, Lord" and not do what I say?' "Everyone who comes to Me and listens to My words and acts on them - I will show you what he/she is like. He/She is like a man/woman who when he/she built his/her house dug, deep, and laid the foundations on rock; when the river was in flood it bore down on that house but could not shake it, it was so well built. But the one who listens and does nothing is like the man/woman who built his/her house on soil, with no foundations: as soon as the river bore down on it, it collapsed; and what a ruin that house became!" - Luke 6:46-49 - 

If we live by the truth and in love, we shall grow in all ways into Christ Jesus, who is the head by whom the whole body is fitted and joined together, every joint adding its own strength, for each separate part to work according to it function. So the body grows until it has built itself up, in love." - Ephesians 4:15-16 - 

I still have many things to say to you but they would be too much for you now. But when the spirit of truth comes, he will lead you to the complete truth, since he will not be speaking as from himself, but will say only what he has learnt; and he will tell you of the things to come. He/She will glorify me, since all he/she tells you will be taken from what is mine. Everything the Father has is mine; that is why I said: all he/she tells you will be taken from what is mine." - John 16:12-15 -