LENT WEEK 1: DAY 5

ISAIAH 53:1-7; 1 PETER 4:12-16 ; ACTS 9:15-16; 1PETER 5:10.

Pray Ps 34; 43; 77.

The one thing every Christian prays to avoid is suffering. But the one reality that is common to every human life is suffering. Suffering is an integral part of our life as human being. It is true God did not create us to suffer but suffering came into our lives with the fall of our first parents (Genesis 3:16-24) and their separation from the presence of God. I know many people believe suffering started with the punishment God gave Adam and Eve for sinning but in fact, suffering started the very moment they ran away from the presence of God and went into hiding (Genesis 3:8). That very act of going into hiding pushed by fear and guilt provoked a form of mental suffering. Suffering can be in various forms: physical, spiritual, psychological, and much more. The common opinion flooding the world is that suffering is the work of the devil and that’s easy to say because that’s why he goes around (1Peter 5:8) and Jesus confirms it when he says the devil only comes to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). This conception of suffering is partial because there are some sufferings that God is pleased to make us go through (Isaiah 53:10). It is God’s will to make his servant sometimes go through the suffering they face but the difference is that they are sustained by God’s sufficient grace (2 Corinthians 12:7-9). When God called St Paul, one of the things he said to Ananias about him was that, he was going to make him suffer for his sake (Acts 9:16) not because he hated him but because it was necessary for the mission assigned to him. This suffering won’t be the result of any evil committed by Paul but rather a suffering that will glorify God. The suffering we go through for the sake of God is not only an act of love but also of sacrifice for the Glory of God and the salvation of men. You accept suffering so that you can render an act of service for the good of the ones you love and care for. It is in this light that, St Paul in writing to the Corinthians tells them that, the apostles suffer and bear death in their bodies so that the life of Christ can be revealed in them (2 Corinthians 4:10-11). Some sufferings you are going through are aimed at destroying a vice from your life (1Peter 4:1) or at getting you ready for a place in heaven (1Peter 4:13) or giving life to others or helping to save others (2Conrinthians 4:12). God can therefore for your own good decide to allow you to be afflicted so as to better your life and your future. But again, you need a lot of discernment to be able to know which is from God and which is not. St Paul tells the Romans that he is already suffering for Christ and would not want anyone to increase it (Galatians 6:17). In saying this, he differentiates between the suffering ordained by God and that which humans bring. Having said that suffering can be permitted by God or inflicted by the devil or even fellow humans, it is very important that we all differentiate between the various kinds of suffering and see which one we are experiencing, and apply the right measures to remedy it. May God who has called you to bear this little suffering grant you such discernment so that you will rejoice to suffer for God obtain the great joy that is to come (1Peter 5:10). Let this be your Motto: bearing the little pain to obtain the greater glory.

Resolutions

I resolve to accept every suffering that comes from God.
I resolve to resist every suffering orchestrated by the work of darkness.
I resolve to make sacrifices even when they are difficult for the glory of God and the salvation of men.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I thank you for your constant presence and support in my life and I thank you for all the sufferings and pains I go through every day. Grant me the Grace to bear patiently the sufferings and pains that you allow to come my way and help me to discern between the ones that are ordained by you and the ones that come from the evil one. May the Holy Spirit the Comforter be with me to help me in all my moments of pain, suffering, and despair, and may I always be faithful to you and not allow them to take me away from your presence.

Amen.

Assignment

Pray for the grace to bear the burdens God lays on you.
Pray for the grace of discernment.
Pray for God’s direction.