Lately, I’ve been thinking about this quote from Bishop Robert Barron about suffering:
…just as one system can take up the work of another, or one organ the burden of another that is ailing, so can one member of the body of Christ bear the burden of another….we can consciously offer our suffering—physical, spiritual, psychological—to Christ in order that he might use it, in his own mysterious manner, to benefit someone else. Christ allows us to minister through our pain.
It’s a simple yet profound thought. We can offer each ache, pain, disappointment, a moment of sadness, an hour of sorrow, the prick of a needle, etc. to help another individual or situation. I like to think that we put our suffering in a golden bowl and ask Christ to take and use for the sake of a person or the world. Instead of complaining, let’s place our thoughts in that golden bowl and trust that Christ will give meaning to our pain.
Artwork: Polenov, Vasily. Ressurection of Jairus’ Daughter. 1871. Oil on canvas. The Museum of the Academy of Arts, St. Petersburg, Russia.