The Art of Suffering

It seems that I am back from a two and a half week sojourn in Europe where I was blessed to see the Holy Father four times in a week and a half. It was simply amazing. But enough about sentimentality and on to the other good stuff.....

Today I was driving to pick up some school supplies, and I noticed a bumper sticker that said something about creating a world where no one suffered. To me this was a huge shock. I can understand why you want to help people have better lives, but being that I just spent a few weeks pilgrimaging and two months of offering up a 1100 mile walk for the preborn babies (preborn is a much better term to use than unborn, just a side note), a world without suffering seems to be a world that is anti-Christian. Afterall, suffering will bring us to everlasting life. Isn't that what marytrdom is all about? Didn't St. Lawrence the Deacon get instructed by the Pope to wait a few days before he was to be marytyred? And didn't he then mock the guards during his marytrdom with the words, "Turn me over. I'm done on this side!" He completely embraced his suffering. And lock where it brought him...to heaven!!!!! Suffering was his salvation.

In light of yesterday's feast of St. Bartholomew, the Apostle, we can't forget about the redemptive nature of suffering. It is St. Bartholomew who is shown at the feet of Christ in Michaelangelo's Judgement in the Sistine Chapel. He is there holding his skin asking, as did the martyrs in the Book of Revelation for their blood to be avenged on the Last Day. He was skinned alive! And so, Michaelangelo chose him to represent the nature of the martyr in his most beautiful painting.

Without suffering, we are dead. A world without suffering is a world without Christ. No suffering for anyone would be great if there were no original sin. But, Adam and Eve did eat the apple. Instead of trying to make everyone comfortable, we should embrace our fate and seek eternal life. Pick up your cross. Don't forget that Christ already carried it to Calvary. Now it's your turn.

Sts. Lawrence the Deacon, Bartholomew, and Louis the King...pray for us