Suffering

SUFFERING
by Allan Raymund Santiago

In my sharing, we will discuss about the sufferings. It is very common for all of us. I know each one of us has a story of sufferings and burdens in our life. It can be a form of financial burdens, state of health, family status, and many more classes of sufferings.

Most of us Filipinos would rather prepare to watch dramatic telenovela and movies. Simply because, we can easily adopt the story in our life. Sometimes, we will tell ourselves the story of this movie is happening to me as well. Huhuhu. And in those stories that we are watching, sometimes we cannot afford not to cry. A tears drop in our eyes, once we have been touched of what we have seen.

I remember during my old days, when we are watching a movie with my family in a cinema, whenever there is a scene of sufferings, I cannot stop myself to cry. Thinking no one will see me if I cry coz its dark. I keep fooling myself whenever my sister ask me if I cry. I hardly say No, napuwing lang ako.

Ofcourse, all of us doesn't want to end the movie sadly, all of us wants a happy ending. In all Filipino movie that I have watched, all of them have a happy ending. In an action movies, the main star never dies despite of the hardship to fight with bad goons. In a comedy movies, the main stars have succeeded to achieve something they want. In a drama movies, the main stars have succeeded the battle of their life.

I remember also my auntie, cousins, and friends telling me: why you keep watching Filipino movies? We know already the ending. They are forecasting the end of the movie. It's quite funny but it's true. Most of the movies have a happy ending.

Going back in our personal life, God doesn't want us to have a sad ending. He wants us to be fruitful, to be happy in our life. God is the director of our life. As a director, he knew the story from the start we live until in the end. God knows every single detail of the script of our life.

St Paul several times speaks of actually rejoicing in his sufferings, either as a means of growing in virtue (Romans 5:3-5; see also James 1:2-3) or as an offering for the good of the Church (Colossians 1:24). He also made it a condition for our future glory: we are “heirs of God and fellow heirs of Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him” (Romans 8:17). Now, we may not yet have attained the level of spiritual maturity at which we can rejoice in sufferings, but we ought at least to accept them without complaint and make an offering of them to God in union with Jesus’ sufferings on the Cross. To accept the inevitable is perhaps not the highest virtue, but it is certainly better than raging against it! You surely have experienced that in this life suffering is inevitable. “Do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal which comes upon you to prove you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings…” (1Peter 4:12-13). “You will suffer in the world; but take courage, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22).

Maybe you will ask me, if God wants happy ending for all of us, why we need to suffer?

I have ask this same question before during my childhood. God wants only to tickle us, and saying "Hey, I'm here". We people only pray if we have sufferings in our life, we people only attend to mass if we need something from Him. We tend to forget that we have God that we can lean on everytime in our life. He didn't give any sufferings that he thinks is outbound of our own capacity. He knew that we can overcome it. Of course to overcome any sufferings, we need the help and love of others even God.

We cannot do it on our own. Seek for his knowledge and wisdom to give you answer in all sufferings, queries in your life. Have faith in Him. For He had said to us in the Gospel " Have faith in me, and whatever you ask for will be given to you in due time"