Catholic understanding of suffering

1. +
SUFFERING, GRACE
AND HEALING
HOW CATHOLIC FAITH
CONNECTS ALL THREE IN
RELATION TO PASTORAL CARE

2. +
POPE JOHN PAUL’S APOSTOLIC
LETTER: SALVIFICI DOLORIS
 JP
II knew and understood suffering
 Recognized
 Suffering
 Answer
it as an inescapable part of all human life
leads us all to ask “Why?”
lies in the love shown by Jesus Christ on the
cross
 This
 It
is difficult for us to understand; we need His help
is complex, especiallyforthose in the midst of suffering

3. + How can we bear the burden
of suffering?
 Look
to scripture, we cannot do it without His grace
 “My
grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made
perfect in weakness (2 Cor. 12:9-10).”
 “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,
of which I became a minister according to the divine
office which was given to me for you, to make the
work of God fully known, the mystery hidden for
ages and generations but now made manifest to his
saints (Col. 1-24)”

4. +
The gift of grace can transform
suffering into joy
 We
must humble ourselves and ask for Hishelp
 Grace
gives us the strength to build up the body
of Christ and to become one of the saints in
heaven
 “We
are joint heirs with Christ, provided, however,
we suffer with him that we may also be glorified
with him…(as)…the sufferings of the present time
are not worthy to be compared with the glory to
come…(Romans 8:17-18).”

5. + SalvificDoloristells us suffering can
be an expression of charity and love
 We
can choose to suffer for another
 Parent
would choose to die for their child
 A mother
sacrifices to chooses life over abortion
 A firefighter
 These
chooses danger to self to saveothers
are signs of unselfish “Christ-like” love

6. +
Suffering can make us see our
human weakness and inadequacy
 Can
prompt us to reach out for help
 Can
help us forgive others
 Can
help us realize our human limitations
 Can
help us accept our need for God
 Can
lead to conversion
 The
example of Jesus Christ shows us that strength can
accompany suffering

7. +
Suffering can wake us up to
a new life in Christ
“A result
of such a conversion is not
only that the individual discovers the
salvific meaning of suffering but above
all that he becomes a completely new
person. He discovers a new dimension,
as it were, of his entire life and vocation
(SD 26).”

8. +
Suffering can be punishment for our
sins; but not always true (SD11)
 The
Old Testamenttells ussuffering was the
consequence of sin
 Suffering
can be a result of our choices not to
follow God’s plan for us
 The
book of Job gives insight into this struggle
 This
is only partly true
 Bad
things do happen to good people

9. +
Suffering of Christ overcomes evil
 His
death on the cross was a triumph of good over evil
 Earthy
suffering is not the worst kind
 The
worst suffering we can have is being away from God
 Hell
is permanent suffering
 “The
only begotten Son was given to humanity primarily to
protect man against this definitive evil and against
definitive suffering…the evils of sin and death (SD 14).”

10. +
Jesus saves us from suffering by
entering into it Himself
 His
suffering was greater than most will ever experience
 He
embraced the suffering of all the sins of man
 In
His suffering, he is compassion itself, in the Word
 We
can enter into that compassion when we share our
pain with Him
 We
us
are assured He understands because He lives it with

11. +
All who suffer, share in His
work of salvation
Christ’s
suffering gives meaning to all
our suffering
Allows
us to share in His work of
redemption by joining our suffering to
His

12. +
Salvific Doloris: How we complete
the suffering of Christ
“
Even though…(redemption)…was
completely achieved by Christ’s
suffering…(it)…lives and develops as
the body of Christ, the Church, and in
this dimension every human suffering,
by reason of the loving union with
Christ, completes the suffering of Christ
(SD 24).

13. + are called to care for those who
We
suffer with compassion and love
 We
are all asked to take part in this work of salvation by
comforting and caring for those who suffer
 It
is our vocation as Christians to love one another
 We
won’t fully understand untilwe become one with
Christ
 “Gradually
as the individual takes up his cross, spiritually
uniting himself to the cross of Christ, the salvific meaning
of suffering is revealed before him (SD 26).”

14. +
The work of those participating
in healing ministry

Christ calls some to a more active role in ministering to the sick
and dying

Those He calls must be a visible sign of God’s presence

In order for healing to occur, those that suffer must feel
forgiveness and love that only can originate from God

Compassion is communicated by being fully present in the
moment with the suffering person (Be off the clock)

Those in the healing ministries must be grounded in prayer and
remain Christ focused

“We can do nothing at all, but…God can do everything through
us ”