Suffering

When one steps back from life to examine it, the first thing that becomes readily apparent is suffering. We all suffer to some greater or lesser degree, and each of us is sure no one suffers as much as himself. The question, then, that must surely arise is: why do we suffer? Why is there so much suffering in the world? One’s mind may next make a very logical jump to the conclusion that sin is the root of all suffering. God must be punishing us for our sins. ‘But no, that can’t be right, can it?’ one might think. ‘Sure, I have sinned in the past, but what about little children in war-torn countries? What about severely autistic children and adults? These people seem to be innocent of wrongdoing, so is suffering really a punishment for sin?’ As with most good theological answers, the answer is both yes and no.

Yes, suffering is the just punishment for sin. The hitch, then, is that those who do
not sin still suffer. Our Lady suffered, as did Our Lord. These two facts, while seemingly
irreconcilable, in fact go hand in hand. The reason is this: while sin is the cause for suffering, suffering is not always directly proportional to personal, actual sin. All of us are born with original sin, the stain deposited on our souls by our first parents when they defied and denounced God by heeding the serpent and fulfilling their own selfish desires. The Baltimore Catechism states: “On account of the sin of Adam, we, his descendants come into the world deprived of sanctifying grace and inherit his punishment, as we would have inherited his gifts had he remained faithful to God.” This same Catechism also states Adam’s punishment thus: “On account of their sin Adam and Eve lost sanctifying grace, the right to heaven, and their special gifts; they became subject to death, suffering, and a strong inclination to evil, and they were driven from the garden of paradise.” Notice that it is “on account of the sin of Adam” and not necessarily on account of our personal sins that we are laden with suffering.
Furthermore, our very duty as Christians is to suffer for our lord.  Suffering for Him is expected and required of us. Multiple times does scripture emphasize this fact: “He who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me,” (Matt. 10:38). Other references include Luke 9:23 (taking up our crosses daily) and Luke 14:27 (“whosoever does not bear his own cross and come after Me, cannot be My disciple”).
Our glorification in Christ also depends on our suffering, as He Himself had to suffer on the cross first before being resurrected--- for are we better than our God? Sacred Scripture makes this clear in passages such as Romans 8:17 and 1Peter 2:19-21. It is through suffering and self-denial that we earn, or at least gain merits for, Paradise and eternal life. This fact can be summed up with the classic adage: “No pain, no gain.”
Another reason that God allows suffering to permeate our lives is for the chance for each and every one of us to prove ourselves faithful to Him, not for His sake, but for our sakes and for the sake of inspiring and directing others in His way. Here is a temporal example that perhaps is easier to understand than a complicated theological explanation. A marine drill sergeant one time told his group of new recruits: “Okay, girls, the good news is that if you pass my training course, you will never have to prove anything again. The bad news? You have to prove it to me.”  Now, this is a flawed analogy, as any common one must be when describing the great truths of theology. Yes, the instructor does test recruits to see if they have the stuff to be marines, but he is also testing them so they can prove themselves to themselves, so they have confidence in themselves to be true marines. So does God test us, so as to show us how strong we really are and how far we can actually push ourselves. Also, we all look up to the marine corps because of their amazing toughness and capabilities. So too is the example of Job supposed to inspire us to greater heights of holiness just as the marines inspire us to greater heights of temporal greatness. God used his suffering and his faithfulness through suffering to give us this great example to follow.
Suffering, then, has reason other than to manifest divine retribution. God is doing more than sitting in heaven showering thunderbolts of punishment upon the earth. He wants to help us, to give us opportunities for extraordinary graces, and help us grow ever closer to Him. Suffering is merely a tool He uses to accomplish this end.

--Noah De La Cruz