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suffering | Deacon Allen Tatara Catholic Speaker
On the Inside; On the Outside
I read this story from a post on LinkedIn written by Hiram Figueroa Jr. It’s a love story – and it will truly touch your heart.
I’m a disciple of Jesus and I’ll tell you my view,
Of the events that took place, the events that are true.
These past few days were filled with such grief.
My heart’s filled with pain, denial, disbelief.
We had just shared a meal, of bread and wine alike,
When he said someone will betray him; it will happen tonight.
The mood suddenly changed, and Jesus felt distraught.
Something felt different; something was off.
The hour was approaching, it was happening at last.
He prayed in the garden that this cup of his should pass.
But it wasn’t about him, but about his Father’s plan.
We awoke to find out that his betrayer was at hand.
Jesus is gone, it’s so hard to conceive.
Yesterday was so painful, I still can’t believe.
It all happened so quickly, from dawn to mid-day.
To see how he suffered as he walked along the way.
He carried his cross, three times falling and stumbling,
But he carried it for us; never griping, never grumbling.
The people spit and they jeered as he passed along by.
They cursed and they shouted, “Let Jesus be crucified!”
They nailed him to a tree and hung him high in the air.
With a crown full of thorns, it just wasn’t fair.
In suffering he prayed, for all – not just a few,
“Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.”
He took his last breath and passed from this life,
I cried and I cried; I was filled with such strife.
His body was taken down and laid in a tomb.
A guard was at the entrance for fear of the Jews.
As I stand here and gaze at the stone-cold tomb
With tears in my eyes and my heart full of gloom.
I know that he told us that he would rise from the dead,
Yet I feel so helpless, confused, and mislead.
Jesus is dead, and what a beating he took.
The whippings, the scourging, the nails on the wood.
So how can he rise and come out of this rock?
Why am I doubting? I really must stop.
Though darkness surrounds me, in Jesus I do trust.
I believe what he told us, and believe, this I must.
He will overcome the grave; for this I am sure.
Because he loved me that much; for me, he endured.
Now I wait in anticipation for the miracle to arise,
To see his radiant glory before my very own eyes.
Jesus changed the world and our sin he set free.
He died out of love, and he did it all for me.
In 1967, Paul Newman starred in the prison drama Cool Hand Luke. Luke Jackson (Paul Newman) knows how to win at poker, even with bad cards, by using his smarts and playing it cool. When Luke finds out his mother has died, he plots his escape; when he’s caught, he simply escapes again. Soon, Luke becomes a symbol of hope and resilience to the other men in the prison.
On the Feast of St. Luke, we are indebted to him for so much information about the early Church, but we know so little about him.
He was of Gentile origin, a Greek from the city of Antioch in ancient Syria, and he made his living as a physician, and he was the companion of St. Paul. But Luke is mainly known as the author of the third Gospel and the book of the Acts of the Apostles. It is in these writings that we will find three reasons why he has become a symbol of hope and resilience to all of us.
First, he had a special love for Mary, the mother of Jesus. It is from Luke that we have most of what we know about Mary: her steadfast faith, her child-like trust and obedience to God’s will, her generosity and readiness to serve others, her acceptance of God’s plan, and her pondering prayerfulness.
Second, he focused in on Jesus’ compassion and mercy for those who suffered. As a doctor Luke was very familiar with sickness and suffering. Luke calls us to be aware of the needs of each other, and especially those without the necessities of life, for those who are lost, and for anyone who is sick or suffering.
And third, he had a passion for evangelization. Luke wanted to spend his life spreading the good news about Jesus, both in his writings as well as in his journeys with St. Paul.
May we strive to be more like Cool Hand St. Luke: cool-headed, independent, individualistic spirit that won’t submit to the power of the evil one. May we be a symbol of hope to others by having a deep-seeded faith like Mary, taking care of those who are less fortunate, and spreading the good news about Jesus to everyone.
As you may know, St. Francis started a religious order after his conversion. He and his brothers, known as the Lesser Brothers, lived a life of poverty and the brothers had to go out into the streets to beg for their daily bread. Francis insisted that the Rule of the Lesser Brothers was to live the rigor of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Now the brothers began to complain about their suffering. Francis understood their pain, but he could not understand why they should utter that pain so loudly. That wasn’t the case with Brother Giles.
Brother Giles was all about cheerfulness. He always welcomed humiliation and misunderstanding and rejoiced in it. How totally selfless one must be to remain cheerful.
Brother Giles put that wisdom into words, and these are the words that Francis enjoyed and kept close to his heart:
- Blessed are you who love and don’t expect to be loved in return.
- Blessed are you who fear and don’t want to be feared.
- Blessed are you who serve and don’t expect to be served in return.
- Blessed are you who treat others well and don’t expect like treatment in return.
Then Brother Giles stated that if you possess these three qualities, you cannot be evil:
- If, for God’s sake, you bear in peace all tribulation that comes you way.
- If you humble yourself in everything you do and receive.
- If you love faithfully those things that cannot be seen with fleshly eyes.
It’s holy contrition, holy humility, holy charity, holy devotion, and holy joy that makes one holy and good.
That is the secret of living a Christian life, and that is how we will bring the Kingdom of God to our present world.
Based on the book, “Francis: The Journey and the Dream” by Murray Bodo
Peter experiences a moment of clarity in today’s Gospel (Mark 8:27-33). Briefly the clouds part and he speaks from the heart: “You are the Christ.” It is the discovery of one who has followed, asked, watched, and questioned. But as our story unfolds we realize Peter knows almost nothing about the implications of his declaration. He speaks a seed of truth without knowing how, when, or where it will grow.
Jesus’ identity was widely debated. The disciples give a number of answers reflecting the speculations of the people: John the Baptist, Elijah, a prophet of old. All they really know is this one is very different.
But no one has a clue just how different Jesus really is.
For the disciples the declaration implies political freedom, armies, war, riches, and power. God’s Messiah will set Israel free from the clenched fist of Rome. They are imagining a king, a court, and multiple thrones.
So Jesus begins the monumental task of redefining their expectations. He speaks plainly of suffering, rejection, death, resurrection. Peter offers his quiet word of correction. After all, no one will follow into battle if Jesus talks like this. They expect blood to be shed – but not the blood of Jesus.
Jesus’ words are clear but, with the exception of Peter’s rebuke, each time the disciples have nothing to say. Mark offers the only word of explanation later in the Gospel: “Though they failed to understand his words, they were afraid to question him.” (Mark 9:32).
After all, it is so unexpected. So Jesus must slowly open a space in which to reveal God’s suffering, death and resurrection which will lead the disciples to understand how they will be freed by the ultimate sacrifice of God’s love.
Let us pray that we may have that same revelation.
Have you ever encountered a once in a lifetime opportunity you knew you couldn’t pass up? You just knew it was something so incredible that you just had to act on it immediately. Such a moment came for a blind and destitute man, named Bartimaeus. Read More
