“He was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins, upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we were healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)
Today is the Memorial of St. Pio of Pietrelcina. In the Magnificat today, there is a meditation by him and he mentions some things I don’t understand. “Jesus tells me that in love it is he who delights me, while in suffering, on the other hand, it is I who give pleasure to him.” Is he saying that Jesus is pleased when we suffer? He goes on to say that Jesus is consoled when “he finds a soul who for love of him asks no consolations and only wants to be allowed to share in his sufferings.” This I can understand a little better. I think he is saying that when we accept our suffering, without asking God to alleviate it, we are more open to being united with Christ in his suffering.
I don’t think God takes pleasure in our pain and suffering though. I think he suffers with us. I don’t think suffering is part of God’s plan; it is a consequence of our broken world. People can try to understand suffering and I trust that God is in the midst of it, but no one will ever provide a good explanation for the suffering I see every day at the hospital. There are little babies dying of cancer and children of all ages enduring the pain of their cancer, their treatments and the procedures they must undergo.
We find beauty in the Cross because it is out of love for us that Christ died. These beautiful words were part of the song for today’s Morning Prayer.
“From His head, His hands, His feet, sorrow and love flow mingled down. Did ever such love and sorrow meet or thorns compose so rich a crown?”
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