The crucifix does not signify defeat or failure. It reveals to us the love that overcomes evil and sin. -Pope Francis
Every cross, great or small, even small annoyances, are the voice of the Beloved. He is asking for a declaration of love from us to last while the suffering lasts. – Blessed Charles de Foucauld
In time of desolation one should never make a change, but stand firm in the resolutions and decisions that guided one day before the desolation. – St. Ignatius Loyola
It’s unfortunate and I really wish I wouldn’t have to say this, but I really like human beings who have suffered. They’re kinder. – Emma Thompson
Let us not expect to find Love without Suffering. Our nature is there, and it is not there for nothing; but what treasures it enables us to acquire! It is our means of gain; so precious it is that Jesus came down upon earth expressly to possess it… We want to suffer generously, grandly; we wish never to fail; what illusion! And what does it matter to me if I fall every minute? I find great profit in it, for thereby I see my weakness. My God, You know what I am capable of unless You carry me in Your arms; and if You leave me alone, well; it is that it pleases you to see me on the ground, so why should I be disquieted? – St. Therese of Lisieux from a Letter to her Sister Celine (as quoted in Thoughts of Saint Therese from TAN Books)
God gives us what we can bear, and no more… If you believe that God wants only our good, you will stay perfectly happy. Be comforted in Christ crucified, and don’t be afraid. – St. Catherine of Siena
I have never thought that a Christian would be free of suffering, umfundisi. For our Lord suffered. And I come to believe that he suffered, not to save us from suffering, but to teach us how to bear suffering. For he knew that there is no life without suffering. – Alan Paton, Cry the Beloved Country
We can try to limit suffering, to fight against it, but we cannot eliminate it. It is when we attempt to avoid suffering by withdrawing from anything that might involve hurt, when we try to spare ourselves the effort and pain of pursuing truth, love and goodness, that we drift into a life of emptiness, in which there may be almost no pain, but the dark sensation of meaninglessness and abandonment is all the greater. It is not by sidestepping or fleeing from suffering that we are healed, but rather by our capacity for accepting it, maturing through it, and finding meaning through union with Christ, who suffered with infinite love. – Pope Benedict XVI, Spe Salvi
For those without faith in a loving God it is impossible to realize that suffering can be understood as a gift of God, and it would be impossible to experience that inner joy and peace that absolute trust in God’s providential love alone can bring us, no matter in what situation we find ourselves. It is only with faith in Jesus as the Son of God, who has shared our suffering that we are able to find meaning in suffering. I have often reflected on what the famous dramatist and diplomat of France, Paul Claudel, said with such wisdom and faith: ‘Jesus did not come to explain away suffering or remove it. He came to fill it with His presence.’ Often it is only after the suffering has passed, that we begin to understand more fully God’s loving hand in our lives even at that time. – Bishop John Steinbock of Fresno
There are wounds of the spirit which never close, and are intended in God’s mercy to bring us ever nearer to him, and to prevent us leaving him, by their very perpetuity. Such wounds, then, may almost be taken as a pledge, or at least as a ground for the humble trust, that God will give us the great gift of perseverance to the end… This is how I comfort myself in my own great bereavements. – Blessed John Henry Newman
Yet the passion of Christ on the Cross gave a radically new meaning to suffering, transforming it from within. It introduced into human history, which is the history of sin, a blameless suffering accepted purely for love. This suffering opens the door to the hope of liberation, hope for the definitive elimination of that ‘sting’, which is tearing humanity apart. It is this suffering which burns and consumes evil with the flame of love and draws forth even from sin a great flowering of good.
All human suffering, all pain, all infirmity contains within itself a promise of salvation, a promise of joy: ‘I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake’, writes Saint Paul (Col. 1:24). This applies to all forms of suffering, called forth by evil. It applies to that enormous social and political evil which divides and torments the world today: the evil of war, the evil of oppression afflicting individuals and peoples, the evil of social injustice, of human dignity trodden underfoot, of racial and religious discrimination, the evil of violence, terrorism, the arms race – all this evil is present in our world partly so as to awaken our love, our self-gift in generous and disinterested service to those visited by suffering. In the love that pours forth from the heart of Christ, we find hope for the future of the world. Christ has redeemed the world. ‘By his wounds we are healed’. (Is. 53:5) – St. John Paul the Great, Memory and Identity
My son, when you come to serve the Lord, stand in justice and fear, prepare yourself for trials.
Be sincere of heart and steadfast, incline your ear and receive the word of understanding, undisturbed in time of adversity.
Wait on God, with patience, cling to him, forsake him not; thus will you be wise in all your ways.
Accept whatever befalls you, when sorrowful, be steadfast, and in crushing misfortune be patient.
For in fire, gold and silver are tested, and worthy people in the crucible of humiliation.
Trust God and God will help you; trust in him, and he will direct your way; keep his fear and grow old therein.
You who fear the Lord, wait for his mercy, turn not away lest you fall.
You who fear the Lord, trust him, and your reward will not be lost.
You who fear the Lord, hope for good things, for lasting joy and mercy.
You who fear the Lord, love him, and your hearts will be enlightened.
Study the generations long past and understand; has anyone hoped in the Lord and been disappointed?
Has anyone persevered in his commandments and been forsaken? Has anyone called upon him and been rebuffed?
Compassionate and merciful is the Lord; he forgives sins, he saves in time of trouble and he is protector of all who seek him in truth. – Sirach :1-11
There is also that other great testimony to the fact that we are sons of God: we are heirs of God, co-heirs with Christ. A co-heir of Christ is one who is glorified along with Christ. The one who is glorified along with him is one who, by suffering for him, suffers along with him.
To encourage us in suffering, Paul adds that all our sufferings are small in comparison with the wonderful reward that will be revealed in us; our labours do not deserve the blessings that are to come. We shall be restored to the likeness of God, and counted worthy of seeing him face to face. – The Liturgy of the Hours
They way we’ve done it this whole time or at least how I’ve done it, is you live in the present and we deal with what we’ve got in front of us because that’s where God’s grace is… I have put a lot of effort into finding joy throughout the whole journey, and I plan to continue that, actively seeking joy. And, I think in order to do that and to find it, you have to actively be grateful for what’s right here. – Laura Sobiech, Fly A Little Higher, How God Answered One Mom’s Small Prayer in a Big Way
The Lord sometimes makes you feel the weight of the cross. Although the weight seems intolerable, you are able to carry it, because the Lord, in HIs love and mercy, extends a hand to you and gives you strength. – Padre Pio
But the peace which God gives is a gift which exists in suffering, in want, or even in time of war. – Fr. Emil Kapaun, sermon broadcast on Armed Forces Radio, Tokyo, 1950
The essence of the Christian life is to suffer without losing joy. – Cardinal Ratzinger
Living Differently 