St. John Paul II
ONE
Today is the Feast of St John Paul II.
In his book St John Paul the Great – His Five Loves, Jason Evert shares this story about JPII. After concelebrating Mass with the Holy Father in his private chapel, a priest from Michigan had a brief opportunity to meet the Pope.
The priest had a broken leg and stood on crutches as John Paul approached him in the receiving line of guests. He said to the Pope with a twinge of humor and self-pity; “I broke my leg. Can I please have your blessing?” John Paul replied; “Don’t waste your suffering.” The Holy Father raised his hand, blessed the priest, and then with an open palm, thumped the priest on the head.
We too often waste our sufferings. They are the most powerful means to empty us of disordered desires, increase our intimacy with Jesus and do the greatest good for the world and others if we know how to accept them with trust and offer them with love to Christ. Do you have crosses or sufferings you are wasting by not offering them up?
TWO
The idea of “offering it up” comes from the writings of Saint Paul.
He wrote; “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” (Col 1:24). What Paul is asserting is that Jesus did not die so that we would never have to suffer, but so that we would know how to suffer.
In becoming man, Christ redeemed all things human: human labor, human love, human suffering, and so on. Each part of man’s existence can take on a supernatural significance if only one has the eyes to see. The suffering of Jesus was more than sufficient to save the world, but He is inviting us to help Him save souls by accepting with trust and offering with love what we did not choose, do not like, cannot change, and cannot understand. In this way we help Jesus save the world and souls from self-destruction.
The degree of suffering does not matter, but the love with which it is offered. It does not matter if the suffering is a bloody martyrdom, a toothache, unemployment, a rebellious child, or an alcoholic spouse. Once a person discovers the meaning of suffering, it can be transformed into a powerful way to change world events and save souls. But the person who remains ignorant of its potential power could be compared to an illiterate person holding a winning lottery ticket. So much value, all gone to waste.
THREE
St. John Paul wrote a letter on the Christian meaning of human suffering, entitled Salvifici Doloris, on the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes in 1984.
In it, he explained how individuals can share in the suffering of Christ because he opened his suffering to all mankind;
“. . . the weaknesses of all human sufferings are capable of being infused with the same power of God manifested in Christ’s Cross. . . . In him God has confirmed his desire to act especially through suffering . . . Christ achieved the Redemption completely and to the very limits but at the same time he did not bring it to a close. . . . every form of suffering, given fresh life by the power of this Cross, should become no longer the weakness of man but the power of God.”
FOUR
St. John Paul reminds all who suffer that they are not passive victims of evil but are powerful agents of change to bring in a large harvest of souls.
He wrote; “To meet with suffering, that is a specific type of harvest.” He reminded the sick that they are not merely to be taken care of, but that they too can care for others through their suffering. “You can do very much by your prayer and your sacrifice, your suffering . . . you can obtain much from Jesus Christ for those who may not need physical help, but who often are in terrible need of spiritual help . . . Your role in the parish is not merely passive.”
Through the example of Christ, we learn that not only should a person do good to those who suffer, but we can also do good by one’s suffering. Salvifici Dolores declared; “In this double aspect he has completely revealed the meaning of suffering.” When one understands the value of the cross and overcomes the sense that suffering is useless, the fruits of peace and joy are experienced. As John Paul explained; “The discovery of the salvific meaning of suffering in union with Christ transforms this depressing feeling.”
Although the powerful ones of the world assume they wield the greatest influence, God’s power is made perfect in weakness. In the Kingdom of God, the paraplegic is not less important than the business tycoon or celebrity, but in a certain sense, more so.
St. John Paul believed Christians should live “Not with the Cross of the Savior behind you, but with your own cross behind the Savior.”
FIVE
When human suffering is understood in its deepest meaning, it ceases to be a negative thing that is experienced in a passive manner.
Rather, one becomes free to meet suffering with courage, seeing it as an opportunity for active and positive collaboration in the work of human redemption. Through God’s grace, it can be transformed into an irreplaceable service for souls, and is no longer wasted. For this reason, John Paul exclaimed; “Prayer joined to sacrifice constitutes the most powerful force in human history.”
What is the concrete resolution we could take forth from this Rosary meditation?
The closing scene in Schindler’s List is haunting: A Jewish man hands him a ring with an inscription from the Talmud: Whoever saves one life saves the entire world. At this Schindler breaks down weeping. “I could have got more out. I threw away so much money. I could have used it to save more people. You have no idea of what I have wasted…I didn’t do enough. I could have sold this car, this gold pin…it would have given me one more person and I didn’t do it.”
I don’t want to be Schindler in the end. Let us make the resolution to accept and offer up whatever we don’t like with a smile. Let’s build the habit with little things so that when the opportunity comes, we can do the big things to love Jesus and save souls.