‘Where There is Life, There is Suffering’
by: Sem Greg C. Francisco
SINCE TIME IMMEMORIAL, HUMAN BEINGS HAVE maintained different views of suffering. Some consider it a curse and some considered it a blessing. It is not only human beings who suffer; animals and plants suffer too but an agent is needed to inflict suffering on them. Same is true with human beings. The big difference is only that, oftentimes, they, themselves, are the cause of their own sufferings. If there is a God, He must be kind and merciful. He must not abandon His beloved creatures into existence only to destroy them by never-ending pain and eternal toil. Surely God creates mankind in a state of pure and infinite happiness. Nevertheless, why do sufferings abound in people’s lives?
Day after day, most of our brothers and sisters must force themselves to work in search for food, material things, and shelter. Less fortunate than these, most of the children of today are forced to work just to eat three times a day. More so, others are just lying in the streets begging for food and money. The innocent and helpless babies are aborted without a glimpse of the beauty of the world. In the hospitals alone, there we will see a large number of bed-ridden people, cancer patients who are helpless. They seem to be ill-fated individuals. However, how do they face these kinds of sufferings? In my observation, the people who are being strucked by terrible pains, malignant illnesses, and other kinds of suffering have different reactions. Some of them accept their fate to be unfortunate but deep in their heart is an envious feeling. Others doubt the existence of God. Moreover, some sufferers face suffering wholeheartedly if it will be for the grater glory of God. While the other millions of sufferers who are sweating with blood, they curse the day of their birth. Meanwhile, others lift up their eyes in gratitude to God and hope for unending happiness and bliss despite their pains and travails.
All of us have already suffered, are suffering, will be suffering, but we often misinterpret its meaning. However, there are people who became known and honored because they face suffering in a peculiar way. In the Bible alone, we can imitate several characters. In the book of Job, there lived a man whose named was Job. This man was a perfectly just man. God blessed him. He had a wonderful family and a good living. One day Satan requested God to test Job and God agreed. First test, Satan killed all of Job’s sons and daughters. In all these, Job did not sin by cursing God. He even said: "The Lord has given and the Lord has taken away, may the name of the Lord be praised". Second test, Satan afflicted Job with painful sores all over his body. Again, Job did not sin against God. His friends sympathized with him and they said that he who suffers certainly has sin presented with the immense power of God. Because of Job’s faith, God restored all things and gave him twice as much as he had before. He suffered serious misfortunes but he never cursed God. He faced suffering in a passive way. He accepted suffering as it is without any word against God. So, in the end, God made him prosperous again.
Another biblical character who also suffered great misfortunes was Joseph. Joseph was the eleventh son and favorite of his father, Jacob. Because of the jealousy of his brothers, they stripped off him of his robe and sold him into slavery in Egypt. In Egypt, he was imprisoned. One time, the Pharoah had a dream and no one could interpret it. He asked for Joseph and Joseph interpreted his dream. The dream came out exactly as it was interpreted by Joseph. Here he rose to the highest office in the land and by wise planning saved the Egyptians and his own family from starvation. God worked marvelously in the suffering of Joseph. If his brothers did not sell him into slavery then his own family would have died from starvation. God used Joseph’s suffering to save his people.
In the realm of our political society, many of our countrymen embraced suffering. Most of these personalities are our national heroes. Andres Bonifacio, Emilio Aguinaldo, Dr. Jose Rizal and other national heroes suffered in the hands of their enemies, the Spaniards. They offered their lives for the freedom of our country. Their suffering is different from the sufferings of Job and Joseph. In our present situation, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is our co-sufferer. She suffers because of the opposition who keeps on interfering her projects. She may be true for saying that God put her to position right now to serve our country. God perhaps is now using her to bring our country out of poverty, economic deficit and hunger but I am sure that there will be an assurance that our country will live in peace, orderliness and harmony. There is a blue sky waiting for our country.
Like all the ordinary people, I have also experienced pains, struggles, and travails. Nevertheless, my sufferings are not that of the sufferings of Job and Joseph, Dr. Jose Rizal and Andres Bonifacio. Since I was small, I am already deprived of so many things. There are many agony, anguish, and ache in my heart.
When I was still a kid, I was deprived of obtaining the things I have wanted. My parents did not buy me any expensive toys. I made my own toys. Most often times, I envied my classmates and playmates. Their toys were Lego, electronic robots and remote controlled cars. I humbly showed them my peculiar toys that were made from ball pens, empty Clusivol bottles and empty cans. I blamed my parents for having unusual toys, I enriched my creativity and resourcefulness because of my toys.
Not only toys, I also did not have quality shirts and jeans. Fashion was not in for me. My parents never mind to buy me new shirts and jeans because I have my brothers. I used slightly used shirts, jeans, and shoes that I inherited from my brothers. Lita’s jeans were the brand of my jeans. I am proud of it because it helped me value simplicity. Nevertheless, these deprivations are only material things.
When I entered the minor seminary, my suffering did not yet end. It became more serious. The first suffering that I have encountered was that my father suffered stroke. I almost did not enter the seminary because of that incident.
Before the opening of the classes during my first year in the Mary Help of Christians Minor Seminary, my father suffered stroke. All of a sudden the bright future prospects, the optimism in my life collapsed. For the first time in my life, IP experienced a great depression and despair. All the while, I thought it would be the end of everything! I was afraid that I need to stop in my studies and the hope of becoming a priest will just become an imagination. I have experienced sleepless nights. I worried not only for myself but also for our entire family especially for my brothers and sisters who were studying. I was greatly bothered by my thought of what will be the future of our family now.
These negative thoughts were even aggravated by the physical condition of my father. He was partly paralyzed and very thin. I thought he would go anytime. These negative feelings and thoughts in my life had brought me down physically and emotionally. My entire well-being was in disarray.
In my four-year stay in the seminary, my father only visited me for about four to six times. Every family day that we had, I was only with my mother. My father’s absence in my formation years was a big cross for me. Other seminarians are more fortunate to have their fathers on their side during their years of formation. Nevertheless, life must go on. In due time, I found my consolation in biblical quotations and teachings. With my faith in God little by little, I have recovered.
Seminary formation offers us to value our sufferings, which we confer as our crosses in life. The formators gave us several punishments for us to learn from our violations, mistakes, and shortcomings. In the seminary, punishment is one of the means of disciplining seminarians. There was one time that I was given a punishment for the whole two months. Instead of having a delightful siesta and youthful games, I was with my fellow social workers cleaning the seminary grounds. I wanted to complain to my parents but I was completely wrong. Failing grades are also part of the sufferings in the seminary. I failed twice in Latin. They did not almost promote me in the fourth year level. However, I took these failures as an avenue for growth and enhancement.
Several years have passed, suffering seemed to be my shadow. I am now in the college level yet my life is bombarded with suffering. My brother met an accident that caused the death of someone. My family was again in financial and emotional crisis because my brother was imprisoned for three days. Yet, we delivered our sufferings to God.
My cross is always there and there is no way out of it. We usually perceive it as a way to our death but faith and love will enlighten us that suffering really leads us to new life or even more directs us to God.
All of our sufferings are just straw compared to the sufferings of our Savior, Jesus Christ. His suffering is the greatest and most meaningful of all the sufferings that we have ever known. No one on earth could surpass such kind of suffering. Not even St. Peter, he asked to be crucified upside down because he said that he does not deserve to be crucified like the way Jesus did. This is true. Nothing can be compared with the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Son of God who humbled himself and become one with us. His merely becoming man is already an act of suffering. He came to reform the humanity yet we rejected him and even cursed him. Because of our cruelty and stupidity, we let him crucified. He is the God who accepted his suffering for the fulfillment of our salvation. He was scourged and crowned with thorns. He was humiliated in front of the crowd. However, he humbly accepted his fate. He even threw himself to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but you want." He, the Son of God and the son of ma, was crucified and died on the cross for us to have new life. Nevertheless, he resurrected and ascended into heaven.
Jesus Christ’s suffering is the model of all sufferings. That in the end, there is resurrection. In the cross, his hands were stretched out as if he were trying to embrace the whole humanity in spite of the suffering that we inflicted him. Just like us, he is also a man of sorrows acquainted with grief but he gently responded on these.
In my fruitful years of reading quality books, of conversing to keen people, of listening to excellent speeches, of studying the questions of life, of reflecting, of living, I learned so many essential realizations about the mysteries of life especially suffering. First, sufferings are part of our life. Existence is synonymous with pain, struggle, toil, depression, and suffering whenever there is life, there is suffering. One’s existence would mean nothing but a struggle in searching for the truth. Human beings should not escape from these sufferings but rather face and embrace them.
Second, sufferings are the sources of happiness. They are the sources of our merit when God assured his suffering people a great reward inn heaven. He further explained this in the beatitudes. Greater grace is given to those who suffered much without any word of complain from their mouths. In the end, God promises us his great reward in heaven. There is no trial, temptation or suffering, which cannot be turned into a blessing and grace if it comes from a righteous heart. Just like the saying, "there is the rainbow after the rain."
Third, sufferings bring out the best in us. Experiences of suffering are the best teachers of life. Difficulties and sufferings strengthen the heart, sharpen the mind,, and purify the soul. Just like the good old memories that are kept in the heart, more so with the bad memories, they must be learned and applied. Sufferings are the avenues for growth and development.
Lastly, to suffer is to love Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is happy to see us carrying our crosses daily, more so, if we show Jesus the best love then it is quality. Undoubtedly, Jesus showed his best love to his Father and to us when he was crucified to the cross. We must be able to see these sufferings as living moments of our life to make it more fruitful.
Sometimes God allows evil to test us. He permits the devil to inflict suffering on us. However, the effect of this suffering depends on the sufferer. God gave us the freewill to use in these situations in life. If the sufferer gives up and curses his creator then his doom will be evil. While if the sufferer let go and let God help him or her in bearing suffering then he or she be granted with blessings and rewards. In the end, it will be between the sufferer and God.
Let us all remember that sufferings are the spices and fire of life. Without pain, poverty, grief, sorrow, agony, and illness, we cannot savor the true meaning of love, joy peace, and justice. They bring color for us to endure and enjoy life. The fruit of suffering is always love. As a result, we must share this love to others. Just as they say, "love is sweeter when it comes from a wounded heart." May we not be like the Hindus that shun away these sufferings but rather may we embrace, accept, and recognize the true value of suffering. One loving thing that we can do is to let our own sufferings teach compassion for others.
Sem. Greg C. Francisco, 19, is a third year seminarian of the Mary Help of Christians College Seminary. Currently, he is the Vice- General Beadle of the MHCCS Community. This essay was graded "A" last formation year in the course, Essay and Essay Writing with Rev. Fr. Mario Dominic Sanchez.
