The Outcomes of Suffering

A Reflection on the Second Reading for June 12th, 2022
The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

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Romans
5.1-5

Brothers and sisters: Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.

And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
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For some reason (likely my passionate love for all things Star Wars), the first thing that pops into my head when I hear this reading is Yoda saying, “Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering.” And here we have the opposite view. Where there is suffering, we have the opportunity to encounter endurance, character and hope. Is suffering the product of fear, anger and hatred? Maybe sometimes. And other times suffering is just a part of our everyday human experience. Sometimes suffering is not the outcome of our sinfulness, but the very place where faith and freedom are invited to blossom. 


When I am in a good place in my life, content and happy with what is going on around me, there is very little need for me to exercise my freedom and make an act of faith in God. By just going along with the flow, I can be content while still resting in God’s will for me. In contrast, it’s the moments of suffering when my freedom becomes truly important. How will I choose to respond to the suffering? Will I turn in on myself and shut out the other in front of me, or will I embrace this occasion to be conformed to Christ? Anyone who thinks that being a Christian is an easy calling has not yet grappled with this question. 


Our faith teaches us that suffering is an inevitable part of our lives, not something to be feared. Christ’s embrace of suffering on the cross is the model I am called to look to in my own encounters with suffering. Christ is also the reason for our hope, as we know that His suffering leads directly to the resurrection and to salvation. As St. Paul says here, “Hope does not disappoint us.” We will receive the graces we need in our moments of suffering – not only the grace to endure, but the grace to build character, the grace of hope and the grace of God’s love poured into our hearts.




​Sr. Gemma MacLeod
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