Perfection through Suffering

 

Holy Thursday Reflection

2010

All of us are going to taste death, just as Jesus tasted death.  But after death, all of us have the potential to be crowned in glory, just as Jesus was crowned in glory.  Jesus showed us the way.  And what was the way that Jesus showed us?  It was simply to do the will of his Father as we discern it. 

When we hear the passion read, we hear the story of Jesus’ agony in the garden as a prelude.  Yes, Jesus experienced intense agony over his perception of God’s will for him- the horrible suffering and death on the cross.  But Jesus understood that the work of salvation would be made perfect by his subjugating His will to that of His Father.  And so, he bore the suffering as a human that was allotted to him, even though he was God himself. 

That’s a hard road for all of us to follow- to endure the suffering that is ours in life-  the crippling or painful physical or mental state that comes with age; the limiting and constraining circumstances that we find ourselves living in; the imperfect people and relationships that are the center of our specific world.  These, and many more things bring us suffering that we cannot avoid, and in some cases, must not avoid, if we are to fulfill God’s will for us.  But, as we agonize over the suffering that is ours, remember this.  Remember the Glory that awaits us as sons of God as we are made perfect through suffering. 

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.