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Introduction
A few years ago, when asked if he would step down from the Chair of St. Peter due to his
deteriorating health, Pope John Paul II answered with a question; ³Did Jesus come down from
the cross?´1 Many have mocked the Pope¶s answer, as they have ridiculed his refusal to resign
from the papacy. They say that the Pope is simply too frail to run the Church, and that Catholics
deserve better than a leader so broken and weak, a man whose suffering is apparent to all. His
last years were full of pain and suffering. Yet he never tried to hide his deteriorating physical
capacities. He seemed embarrassed by frailty; and by continuing his papal service until the very
end, he fulfilled the pledge he believed he had made to the Church and to his Lord- the pledge to
spend out his life in strengthening his Christian brothers and sisters in their faith.2
But the Pope¶s critics have forgotten a central truth about Christianity: we are a people
redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ; a man whose very brokenness, weakness and suffering
made possible our salvation. The Pope knows this truth well for he wrote two decades ago an
letter of Pope John Paul II concerning suffering. In its introduction the letter started with a
quotation from the letter of Paul to the Colossians ³in my flesh I complete what is lacking in
1
Coleen Carroll Campbell, à
;
, (OSV93: march 21,2005)page 10, Colleen Carroll Campbell is a fellow at the Ethics
and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C. and author of ³ The New Faithful : Why Young Adults are
Embracing Christian Orthodoxy ( Washington: Loyola Press,2005).
2
George Weigel,
Christ¶s afflictions for the sake of his body that is the church.´ 3 As the Pope explained, this
applies to people who experience suffering in their journey. A suffering which is part of the
history of man is shed light by the Word of God.4 These words have as it were the value of a
final discovery which is accompanied by joy.5 Furthermore he also said that joy comes from the
discovery of the meaning of suffering. He cited Paul as an example of a person who rejoiced
amidst his sufferings for the sake of Jesus Christ. This is what Saint Paul calls as the
meaning of suffering.
world of human suffering, one must understand first the other criteria that go beyond the sphere
of suffering. Pope John Paul II described it an objective reality.6 Nonetheless, this criterion does
not describe wholly the meaning of suffering; for the significance of human suffering is wider,
Medicine as the science and art of healing has made a big difference in the vast field of
human sufferings. Medicine discovered the syndrome of people who are sick; hence they can
proclaim the people suffer physically. The doctors diagnosed patients before telling the kind of
sickness has and prescribe medicine. However, man suffers in different ways, ways that are not
3
Col. 1:24
4
John Paul II, R
à
!
R
L¶ OSSERVATORE
ROMANO (N. 8 (822), February 20, 1984). Page 1, prior to the publish of this Apostolic Letter that the Pope has
already a special heart to the people who are sick and the letter is to enlighten, comfort and sustain but invoking the
intercession of the Immaculate Virgin who made Lourdes a centre of suffering accepted with love and of prayer
sustained by hope. Please c.f. John Paul II, General Audience of Wednesday, 8, February L¶OSSERVATORE
ROMANO ( N.7(821), February 13, 1984)
5
Ibid. p.1
6
Ibid, p.1
c
Suffering is a very old reality which has accompanied mankind in its history. But no one
can exactly tell where it came from. There are two kinds of suffering; a suffering born out of
sickness and a suffering rooted in humanity. The distinction is based upon the double dimension
of human being, and it further indicates the bodily and spiritual elements as the immediate or
The two kinds of suffering namely are physical and moral suffering. The former is
present when µthe body is hurting¶ whereas the latter is the pain of the soul. In
fact, it is a question of pain of a spiritual nature, and not only of the
µpsychological¶ dimension of pain which accompanies both moral and physical
suffering The vastness and the many forms of moral suffering are certainly no less
in number than the forms of physical suffering. But at the same time, moral
suffering seems as it were less identified and less reachable by therapy.7
On the other hand, Benedict XVI, suffering is part of human existence. Suffering
stems partly from the finitude and partly from the mass of sin which has accumulated
over the course of history and continues to grow unabated for the world today. Thus he
love. Indeed this is included in the fundamental requirements of Christian life. Great
progress has certainly been attained in the battle against physical pain; yet the suffering
of the innocent and mental suffering have, if anything, increased in recent decades.8
Furthermore, the Pope continued to explain suffering in line with the Scriptures. He
quotes from the Old Testament the various themes of suffering: death of one¶s children, the death
of the first born and only son, and the difficulty to understand why the wicked prosper while the
7
John Paul II, R
à
!
R
p. 1.
8
For further reading please consult the encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI, R R
(
Pasay: Pauline Publishing House Inc. 2008),pp.53-54
cc
just man suffers or why misfortunes strike one¶s nation. In addition, moral suffering often is
linked with the physical and psychological pain felt in the various parts of the body. 9 Thus in the
Scriptures, suffering is viewed in line with bodily pain and emotional pain. And this is where
Pope John Paul II emphasized that suffering is connected to evil. As John Paul said;
³It can be said that man suffers whenever he experiences any kind of evilIn the
vocabulary of the Old Testament, suffering and evil are identified with each other.
In fact, that vocabulary did not have a specific word to indicate µsuffering.¶ Thus
it defined as evil everything that was suffering.´10
The Christian response to it is different, for example, from the one given by certain
cultural and religious traditions which hold that existence is an evil from which one needs to be
acknowledges the goodness of the Creator and proclaims the good of creatures. ³Man suffers on
account of evil, which is a certain lack, limitation or distortion of good.´ 11 Thus from the
Christian view, the reality of suffering is explained through evil, which is always the absence of
good.
9
Ibid, p.1, This is really the reason why he wrote the encyclical to help the people who are suffering really
from physical pain but moreover putting all to the suffering of Jesus Christ. Most of the audiences the Pope gave are
that physical pain especially those who are sick in the hospitals or in their houses consoled them and bring always
into the context the suffering of Jesus Christ. This can be manifested in his homilies during February 11, the day of
sick people. in his audiences, he even name the body sickness like leprosy, aids, old age but all speaks that they offer
their suffering to the conversion of sinners. In his message to the sick children in St. Louis that he is assuring them
for a special place in his daily prayers for they have particularly fruitful role in the spiritual heart of the church. In
this case, he is inviting all the sick bodily that the trials and sufferings are precious for the redemption of the world.
In his audience for the 12th world day of the sick at Lourdes that he states that health is a harmony of body and soul
in Christ. One can say therefore that the cross as the source of life and happiness, health is not just the absence of
illness. Rather it is the physical, psychic, social and spiritual cross, which is actually the only acceptable tension
towards true harmony. See John Paul II, General Audience; 12th World Day of the Sick at Lourdes, France,
L¶OSSERVATORE ROMANO (N.7, February 18, 2004), p. 7. Furthermore in the book of Ladislaus Boros,
(Baltimore: Burns and Oates Ltd, 1966) p. 72 that Christ first of all helped this man in the body, but
in addition to this he showed him a way out of spiritual suffering. He told him, Be Open.
10
Ibid ,p. 1, for further reading see the book of Louis Evely, R
( New York: Herder and Herder,
Inc.1967)p. 13 invites people that the meaning of Evil, the meaning of suffering is what Christ himself inviting each
one of his creation to meditate on after the paschal event.
11
Ibid ,p. 1
c
People who suffer understands and care, and through the persistent question that they
found the meaning of their suffering. Although the world of suffering exists µin dispersion,¶ at
the same time it also contains within itself a singular challenge to communion and solidarity
because every individual through their personal suffering constitutes a part of the world.
Thus, the world of suffering has a subject which is human being that was started already
As the Pope continued his search for the meaning of suffering, he came to realize that
pain and evil are difficult to interpret to people who are sufferings. This difficulty would often
lead them to ask questions about their suffering. In his search, the Pope used the bible as its
source of the meaning of suffering. Hence the search for the meaning of suffering is to put God
to listen to their pains. 13 The book of Job poses already extreme questions of the reason for
suffering.14 Moreover it shows that suffering strikes anyone but it does not give the solution to
12
Ibid, p. 1, The Pope shows his solidarity to the people who suffers particularly in his prayer and he
consoles them by his messages through his weekly audience. In his homily that he delivers by Cardinal Sodano for
Tsunami Victims that was struck on Southeast Asia on December 26,2005 that his solidarity manifested. As he
states that he is close to the victims by praying with them and entrusting the souls of all who died in the terrible
seaquake. He even expressed his deep sympathy with the sorrowing brethren. Thus he then asked everyone to make
concrete gestures of solidarity for the people and even he personally followed all the relief action taken by the Holy
See and the various particular churches scattered around the world. For further reference to the homily, see
L¶OSSERVATORE ROMANO, à
"
R
#
$, (N.5, February 2, 2005),p.
6
13
Ibid p. 2, L¶OSSERVATORE ROMANO, à
"
R
#
$in
his the same homily to the victims of tsunami, that the first reading they took is about Job and end with this, Job did
not sin or charge God with wrong, thus for the victims like Job human beings of every ask their selves the same
questions about suffering. Besides St. Augustine himself noted in his Confessions ³I sought whence is evil and
found no way.´( cf. Confessions,7,7,11) cf. Marian Sia and Santiago Sia, % R
&#
&
R
( New York: St. Martin¶s Press,1999)
C.f.John E. Thiel, & '
R
( New York: The Crossroad Publishing
Company,2002) pp. 20-26;a Short History of sin
c
the problem.15 In addition, suffering has a meaning only as a punishment insofar as it emphasizes
the educational value of it. Thus in the sufferings inflicted by God upon the chosen people, there
was already an invitation of his mercy which serves as a corrective measure leading one to
conversion. Punishments are not meant to destroy but to discipline.16 Punishment has a meaning
not only because it serves to repay the objective evil of the transgression with another evil but
first and foremost because it creates the possibility of rebuilding goodness in the subject who
suffers. Hence repentance is the challenge if one can recognize the divine mercy of God which
can overcome evil.17 However, in order to arrive at the real response to the cause of suffering,
John Paul II put into context the love of the Father that was revealed to humanity. Love is the
15
Ibid, p. 2, in addition in the book of Aloysius Rego, Suffering
R
# à R
R
à '( R ) ( Louvain: W.B. Eerdmans Peeters Press, 2006),p. 167
states that Schillebeeckx considers that suffering and evil are not a problem but an unfathomable, theoretically
incomprehensible mystery which means that suffering is reduced to a simple µproblem¶ only if it is limited to a
particular sector of human suffering which can be dealt with scientifically and technologically. Furthermore he
affirms that a problem can be objectified and examined in a detached manner, and an explanation given. A problem
then admits of a solution. Once solved it ceases to be a problem.
16
Cf. 2 Mac 6:12, for Jewish Tradition one can view that suffering is a divine discipline. for further reading
about divine discipline please consult the book of Jim Alvin sanders, R
à
( Rochester, NY: Colgate Rochester Divinity School,1955) One is educated
through the correction of one¶s misdirection and these can be summed up into a six steps; firstly, just as the parent
disciplines a child as seen in Prov. 13:24;22:15;23:13;29:17, so God disciplines those who belongs to him as
manifested in the book of Deuteronomy 8:5 µ know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son the Lord your
God disciplines you; secondly, corporal punishment is presupposed as a means of discipline/ education in ancient
Israel and later Judaism. This was seen in proverb 22:15 and proverb 29:15 µ the rod and reproof give wisdom but
the child left to himself brings shame to his mother and in Proverb 3:11-12 µ¶ My Son do not despise the Lord¶s
discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves as a father the son in delights;´
thirdly, God¶s motivation is his love and mercy as seen in the Wisdom of Solomon 11:9 and in Psalms 13: 7-11
which states that ³ God will admonish the righteous as a beloved son and his discipline is as a firstborn;´ fourthly
the goal of the hardships/afflictions/suffering is the purification and growth of the one who suffers. In the book of
Judith ³The Lord Scourges those who draw near to him, in order to admonish them, in Sirach 18:13 says: The Lord
rebukes and trains and teaches them and turns them back as a shepherd his flock;´ fifth, such correction was given to
those whom God loved so that they might not be condemned in the end, but rather rewarded. In the book of 2
Maccabees 6:12-15 says the calamities that befell the Jews were designed to discipline the people. to punish
immediately is a sign of great kindness´ for in the case of the other nations the Lord waits patiently to punish them
until they have reached the full measure of their sins; but he does not deal in this way with us, in order that he may
not take vengeance on us afterward when our sins have reached their height;´ finally the sixth steps, since such
discipline was motivated by God¶s mercy and intended for his people¶s god, it was to be accepted, even desired and
responded to properly. in Sirach 32: 14 states: ³ he who fears the Lord will accept his discipline,´ there is a prayer
for the Lord¶s discipline in order that the sins of the one who is praying may not abound. For further consultation see
the book of Charles H. Talbert, *
(Makati: St. Paul Publishing house inc. 1997).
17
Ibidp. 3
c
richest source of the meaning of suffering which always remains a mystery.18 Hence when Christ
became man, he revealed to mankind the mystery of the true meaning of suffering by dying on
the cross due to his love for the Father and for humanity.
The conversation between Christ and Nicodemus in the Gospel of John brings in the
work of God which describes the love of God for humanity. That is why he sent his
beloved Son to bring eternal life particularly to people who believe.19 They also express the very
essence of Christian salvation which is liberation from evil and suffering.20 Thus the Son of Man
was given to humanity to free man from evil, which carries the ultimate and supreme standpoint
of suffering as a result of the love21 between the Father and the Son. This is the love which
18
Ibidp.3, for people, there are some things that human cannot know. Human are only created beings and
not God. Human cannot penetrate God¶s mystery; this is the same too with human suffering even though its effect is
to cut off the search for further answers. Many Christians used one of the other explanations as long as they work,
but when all else fails, one will fall back on the idea that it is all part of God¶s mystery and one can never know
more than that. Certainly, there are limits to human efforts to understand God and the universe, but one ought not
abandon the search too soon. Please c.f. Daniel J. Simundson, % +
% #
R
( Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House. 1980), p. 147
19
Ibid p.3, besides, in the eyes of a Christian, God is love; the world has been created by love; in itself it
carries the reflection of love. Created in the image and likeness of a God of love, man is also capable of loving. He
is a person, and a person is only fulfilled by love and its bestowal. Thanks to the munificence of the living God, man
is even introduced into the tide of love which makes up the divine persons. He is assured that if he responds to this
gift by a reciprocal gift, he will enter into total communion with the persons and will know in it and them freedom,
peace, perfect joy. To love is to participate, to communicate also to give oneself. It is to create bonds that unite
human beings in the most perfect harmony. From the beginning the plan of God has been met with failure because
of sin, the refusal to love. To love is to give self and to unite oneself with one another. To love God is to give
oneself and unite oneself with the Greater Other: God.´ For further readings please see the book of Jean Vieujean,
*R
( Maryland: The Newman Press ,2000),p.38
20
Ibidp.3
21
In his teaching, ³ à
* ,
- ( September 25, 1993), Pope John Paul II
address the married people that The love experienced within the family offers a favorable climate where that
personal relationship with God which is the source of authentic individual and community renewal can take root and
develop. This implies that it is genuine love. Often, unfortunately, in the hedonistic culture we experience today, it
is rather its caricature and even its betrayal that are labeled with the name of love. Appropriately, the biblical
passage just proclaimed is, in two instances, concerned with clarifying the true meaning of love. "In this way the
love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him" (1 Jn
4:9). Love at its source. Love is the gift of self. It means emptying oneself to reach out to others. In a certain
sense, it means forgetting oneself for the good of others. Furthermore, God's love is totally gratuitous. Such
therefore should be the love of a couple and the relationship between the members of a family. By virtue of love the
parents will be able to devote their best energies to the work of bringing up their children, assuring them of
consistent guidance and surrounding them with caring and respectful affection. In turn, the children will find in love
the deepest motivation for a responsible, docile and grateful attitude towards their parents. Love drawn from God's
c
greater than discovering the meaning of suffering for it has a dimension of redemption which is
based on the Old Testament especially in the suffering of Job. ³For I know that my redeemer
To have eternal life, one has to believe that the begotten Son of God was sent to humanity
in order that man may not perish but to gain eternal life. Thus the only begotten Son was given to
humanity primarily to protect man against definitive evil and suffering.23 Therefore the Son must
strike evil right at its roots from which it developed in human history. For this root of evil is
grounded in sin and death because they are the basis of the loss of eternal life.24 Hence winning
this transgression and fatality is the mission of the Begotten Son. He conquers sin by his
obedience unto death and he overcomes death through his resurrection. 25 What the Pope is
clarifies does not only have to do with the rewards of eternal life but also with suffering and evil
in their temporal and historical aspects. For human beings, sins enter already the history of
humanity through the first parents Adam and Eve. Hence death is the state of liberation from the
heart spurs the whole family to find the time to attend to the elderly, to devote themselves to the sick, to be involved
in the difficult situations around them, including regional problems and the more general problems of the nation.
The family does not live its vocation to the full if it is not open to the needs of the community. When its members
seal themselves off in a sort of group selfishness, they automatically deprive themselves of the opportunity to grow
in love and thus to experience true joy.
22
Job 19:25-26
23
Ibidp.3
24
Ibidp.3
25
Ibidp.3, in his General Audience, October 19, 1988, he states that what stands out most in Christ¶s
passion and death is his perfect conformity to the Father¶s always been considered the most characteristic and
essential disposition of sacrifice. He continues that for St. Paul speaks of Christ that ³he become obedient unto
death, even death on a cross´ (Phil.2:8), thus reaching the extreme limit of self emptying included in the incarnation
of the son of God, in contrast with the disobedience of Adam who had desired to grasp equality with God.
Moreover, some people asked if the one hanging on the cross the son of God that due to this that the creed of
catholic was develop by many heresies during the old time. The letter to the Hebrews follows in the same line,
although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered (Heb 5:8). He himself it was who in life and
in death, according to the Gospels offered himself to the father in the fullness of obedience. At Gethsemane, one can
see how painful this obedience was to be: father all things are possible to thee; remove this cup from me, yet not
what I will but what thou will. Please see for more details John Paul II, General Audience, October
19,1988.L¶OSSERVATORE ROMANO ( N.43(1061), October 24,1988)
suffering of life where it constitutes, as John Paul II states that ³ death is the destruction of the
bodily organism and the dissolution of the entire personality of man but soul survives and
Thus for John Paul II, through the work of the Begotten Son, humanity was liberated
from death and sin by taking out into human history the sin which took root under the influence
of the evil spirit beginning with Original Sin.27 He then gives man the possibility of living in
sanctifying grace. Moreover, the victory over sin and death achieved by Christ in his cross28 and
resurrection does not abolish temporal suffering from human life, nor free from suffering the
26
Ibid, p.3, in his General Audience, November 02, 1988, (CD- ROM) emphasized that death directs one¶s
thoughts to eternity. It opens up before humanity the perspective of that "new heaven" and that "new earth" (Rev
22:1) which will be "the dwelling of God with men" (v.3). Then God "will wipe away every tear from their eyes,
and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have
passed away." The serenity of the Christian when faced with death is rooted in this certainty. It does not derive from
a kind of insensitivity or indifferent resignation to the fact of death, but from the conviction that-contrary to
appearances-death has not the last word in human destiny. Death can and must be conquered by life. The final
perspective, the hope of the Christian who lives in God's grace is not death, but life. And eternal life. as Scripture
tells us: that is to say, a full and unending sharing-beyond the confines of the present life and beyond death-in God's
infinite life itself.
John E. Thiel, &'
R
pp.105-138
28
The cross as something that points to the suffering of humankind and can be seen in an identical with the
cross of Christ. This meant that the suffering of humanity is identical with the sufferings of Christ in terms of its
intensity and the existential experience both represent. On the other hand, it must be acknowledged that the two
crosses are not the same. While the cross humankind bears is something that directs humanity¶s suffering, the cross
of Christ points man to the suffering of Christ as substitute for others. Hence using the cross as a symbol for for the
suffering of humanity must be approached with caution and seen as a Christian interpretation of all suffering that
humankind endures. Using the cross to point out the suffering of humankind has its use, in emphasizing the true
nature of suffering and as such to be overcome. But the CROSS, in capital letters cannot be used to authenticate the
suffering of humankind or as an alibi to forget the many crosses that humankind has to bear nowadays. See further
the book of Yacob Tesfai, à R
( New York:
Orbis Publication Inc.2000),p.62
29
Ibid p.3, in his homily during Eucharistic Concelebration at the foot of the statue of St. Michael the
Archangel in Aprilia on September 14, 1986 states that the sacrifice of the cross and the Cross of Christ is the way
of salvation. Salvation is accomplished in the Resurrection, but its beginning is found in the acceptance of the cross.
All that Jesus did for the salvation is summarized in his priestly offering of himself on the wood of the cross, as the
expiatory victim of human¶s sins. Death and resurrection constitute the central event of man¶s history; one give to
the history of human miseries a radically course and open to man the prospect of salvation. In the end of his homily
the pope ends that in the cross is salvation ³we adore you, O Christ and we bless you, because by your cross you
have redeemed the world.´ Please confer the whole homily in L¶OSSERVATORE ROMANO,
'
. R $/0 (N.40, October 6, 1986) page 4.
In his messianic activity Jesus became close to the world of human suffering by going out
and doing good things especially when his actions are directed towards the suffering people who
seeks help. He healed the sick, consoled the afflicted, fed the hungry, freed people from
deafness, from blindness, from leprosy, from the devil and from various physical disabilities.30
Jesus emphasized he did not just have a firsthand experience of sufferings but he intends to give
them hope and teaches them amidst various sufferings. As he put in the beatitudes; ³Blessed are
those who suffer for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.´31Jesus takes suffering upon his very self
and endures fatigue and becomes homeless. He is even misunderstood by his disciples and yet he
still knows his mission here on earth that humanity must have eternal life as he is loved by his
father to bring humanity into salvation. Indeed this is redemptive in character. As St. Paul writes
of Christ ³ He loved me and gave himself for me.´32 In other words love is the reason why Jesus
the beloved son of God became human in order to show the love of his father to humanity and to
show that suffering is a redemptive act. This is to fulfill the many messianic texts in the Old
Testament that the messiah will come to liberate and to save all the people from their slavery,
from their burden of suffering. In Second book of Isaiah it predicts what would happen to the
servant when he comes that he will be mocked and that he will suffer. But his suffering is to
show to humanity how the love of God is working amidst suffering.33 As the Pope describes it;
³He though innocent takes upon himself the sufferings of all people because he
takes upon himself the sins of all. The Lord has laid on him the iniquity on us all;
all human sin in its depth and breadth becomes the true cause of Redeemer¶s
suffering.´ 34
30
Ibid p.3, Acts 10:38, cf. Mk 2;1-12;Mk. 5: 1:42; Mk. 7: 24-36
31
C.f. Mt. 5: 1- 12
32
Gal. 2:20
33
Ibid p.3,
34
Ibid p.4
This is to describe the song of the suffering servant written in Isaiah but fulfilled in Jesus
Christ. The words of the prophets enable one to understand that the extent of the evil that
burdened Christ himself is a substitutive suffering but more than a redemptive suffering. The
man of sorrows of that prophecy is truly that ³Lamb of God who takes way the sin of the
world.´35 By his suffering, the sins of humanity are cancelled for he alone as the only Begotten
Son could take them upon himself, accept them with that love for the father which overcomes the
evil of every sin.36 This means that he wiped out the evil in the spiritual space of the relationship
between God and humanity and fills the space with good.
If one can see it, the above discussion concerns the duality of a single person. The
Begotten Son who is consubstantial with the Father suffered and at the same time, in his passion
and death on the cross37 brought humanity to redemption. This brings one to the Gethsemane38
and the Golgotha39 experience40 where the song of the Suffering Servant is fulfilled.
35
Ibid p.4, c.f. Jn. 1:29
36
Ibid p.4, in his General audience: Wednesday, April 27, 1983, states that Jesus has corrected the opinion
which considered suffering solely as a punishment for sin. In fact, in reply to the question of his disciples in regard
to the man born blind, he rules out that that infirmity was derived from sin and he stated that it had for its purpose
the manifestation of the power of God, a manifestation which took place with the miracle of healing and still more
by the adhesion of the one who was cured to the light of faith (Jn 9:3). In his work of reconciliation the incarnate
Son of God voluntarily took upon himself the suffering and death which men merited by their sins. But he has not
exempted humanity from this suffering and death because he wishes mankind to participate in his redemptive
sacrifice. He has changed the meaning of suffering: it should have been a punishment for sins committed; now
instead, in the crucified Lord, it has become the matter of a possible offering to the divine love for the formation of
new humankind.
37
In his General Audience, April 13, 1979 (CD ± ROM) John Paul II affirm that When humanity makes
the Way of the Cross from one station to the next, in spirit humankind are always at the spot where this journey had
its "historical" place: where it took place along the streets of Jerusalem, from the Praetorium of Pilate to the hill of
Golgotha, or Calvary, outside the city walls. ³So today too we have been, in spirit, in the City of the "Great King",
who, as a sign of his kingship chose the crown of thorns instead of a royal crown, and the cross instead of a throne.´
Furthermore, in his Angelus, March 30, 1980 (CD- ROOM) that the cross will remain through all the generations of
mankind, inseparable from Christ. It will become his memorial and his sign. It will become an answer to the
question that man asked God, and will remain a mystery. The Church will surround it with the body of her living
community; she will surround it with men's faith with their hope and with their love. The Church will carry the cross
with Christ through the generations. She will bear witness to it She will draw life from it. From the cross she will
grow with that mysterious growth of the Spirit, which has its beginning in the cross. And in his encyclical,
'
" : &
* (Pasay: Daughters of St. Paul Publication, 1995) stresses that he quoted the gospel
of John ³they shall look on him whom they have pierced´ for the Gospel of life is brought to fulfillment on the tree
Moreover, it shows how Christ is ready to fulfill the mission sent by his Father to redeem
the world through his voluntary suffering. With his sufferings he accepts the questions many
of the cross. Jesus is nailed to the Cross and is lifted up from the earth. He experiences the moment of his greatest
"powerlessness," and his life seems completely delivered to the derision of his adversaries and into the hands of his
executioners: he is mocked, jeered at, insulted (cf. Mk 15.24-36). And yet, precisely amid all this, having seen him
breathe his last, the Roman centurion exclaims: "Truly this man was the Son of God!" (Mk 15.39) It is thus, at the
moment of his greatest weakness, that the Son of God is revealed for who he is: on the Cross his glory is made
manifest.By his death, Jesus sheds light on the meaning of the life and death of every human being. Before he dies,
Jesus prays to the Father, asking forgiveness for his persecutors (cf. Lk 23.34), and to the criminal who asks him to
remember him in his kingdom he replies: "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise´ (Lk 23.43).
After his death "the tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised" (Mt
27.52). The salvation wrought by Jesus is the bestowal of life and resurrection. Throughout his earthly life, Jesus
had indeed bestowed salvation by healing and doing good to all (cf. Acts 10.38). But his miracles, healings and even
his raising of the dead were signs of another salvation, a salvation which consists in the forgiveness of sins that is, in
setting man free from his greatest sickness and in raising him to the very life of God.On the Cross, the miracle of the
serpent lifted up by Moses in the desert (Jn 3.14-15; cf. Num 21.8-9) is renewed and brought to full and definitive
perfection. Today too, by looking upon the one who was pierced, every person whose life is threatened encounters
the sure hope of finding freedom and redemption.
38
For John Paul II Gethsemane is a very special place in the heart of Jesus especially his suffering, in his
ANGELUS, April 09,1979 [ CD- ROOM] emphasized that Holy Week - the Week of the Lord's Passion leads us to
the very sources of our faith. Christ himself is this source. It was he who gained mankind salvation in an absolute
way precisely through the Cross. Precisely because of the feet that he accepted the testament of Gethsemane and
Calvary. Precisely because of the fact that he was bound tried, scourged, crowned with thorns. Precisely because of
the fact that he was condemned, that he fell beneath the weight of the Cross. And what can mankind say about the
terrible torment of the agony on the Cross? One may follow the traces of his sufferings by dwelling with the utmost
attention on every word spoken by him: in the Upper Room, in the garden of Gethsemane, before the Sanhedrin,
before Pilate, and finally on the cross. There exists in all that an amazing consistency: the unity of testimony, of
mission. In his homily, March 27, 1991,[CD-ROOM] he affirms that the father had put everything into his power,
hence Jesus Christ aware of this power he will go to Gethsemane; he will be subject to judgment and condemned to
death on the cross. This awareness, this certainty, will become his suffering: a human suffering, but a humanly
inexpressible suffering. It will become his redemptive sacrifice.
39
John Paul II, Homily, September 7,1993 [ CD ± ROM] affirms the cross gives sense and value to
Nation¶s years of suffering. For in the readings for that day presented the mystery of the cross, ³The Son of Man
must be lifted up" (Jn 3: 14). The Son of Man was lifted up on the cross of Golgotha-and this was a sign of disgrace.
Men disgraced him by condemning him to death on the cross. As a man, he "humbled himself, becoming obedient to
death, even death on a cross" (Phil 2:8). He was obedient to men: to those who sentenced him and to those who
carried out the sentence. On the other hand, For Jurgen Moltmann, Golgotha offers his insight by unraveling the
meaning of it, it is an event between God and God ie, an event between Jesus and his Father. For further reading
about the theology of Moltmann, consult the [Unpublished Thesis], John Paul Del Rosario, Dying with the Altar
Boy: Towards a Filipino Theology of Suffering Inspired By Jurgen Moltmann¶s The Crucified God. San Carlos
Graduate School of Theology, February 2008.
40
Ibid p.4, in Gethsemane Jesus fully experienced human anguish in the face of death. ³He began to be
distressed and troubled´ the Gospel tells and the two words that are used suggest the idea of profound bewilderment,
a kind of solitary terror, like someone who feels cut off from human society. Jesus did not face death lie someone
with an ace up his sleeve to pull out at the right moment. At times during his life he showed to mankind that he
knew he would rise again but this was a special knowledge which he was not favoured with when and as he wished.
His cry on the cross, ³ My God, My God why have you forsaken me?´ shows that his certainty was not available to
him as man. This is a meditation of the book of Raniero Cantalamesa, à (
(New
Delhi:Media House Delhi Publishing Inc., 2009), p.13.
people utter when they suffer. Christ however did not only carry with himself the same question
as Job did. He also carried the greatest possible answer to the question. Thus Christ gives the
answer to the question of suffering and the meaning of suffering not only by his teaching as
found in the Good News but most of all by his own suffering, which is integrated in his teaching
of the Good News in a natural and permanent way.41 The Good News he teaches and shares to
humanity is to ³take up your cross and follow me.´42 In his experience in Gethsemane, he shows
how to carry the cross in his prayer to the Father: ³My Father, if it be possible let this cup pass
from me, nevertheless not as I will but thou will, My Father if this cannot pass unless I drink it,
thy will be done.´43 The words of Jesus Christ prove the truth that the relationship of the Father
and the Son are incomparable amidst the presence of sufferings. Thus as John Paul says;
³The words of the prayer of Christ in Gethsemane prove the truth of love, and the
truth of suffering. The words of Christ substantiate with all simplicity the truth of
human suffering to its profundity which implies that suffering is the experiencing
evil before man quivers.´ 44
Hence, the suffering of the Begotten Son confirms the uniqueness and incomparable
depth and intensity he suffers and that it gives one the possibility to understand the form of
However, as Jesus Christ voluntarily accepts his suffering to redeem the world, he
experienced that he was abandoned. This was articulated in the words that were spoken in
Golgotha, ³My God, my God why have you forsaken me?´45 His words are only an expression of
that abandonment. One can say that abandonment is born at the level of that inseparable union
41
Ibid p.4
42
Ibid p.4
43
Ibid p.4
44
Ibid p.4
45
Ibid p.4; c.f Mk. 15: 34-35, for mankind, the words of Jesus in Golgotha was a sense of abandonment
but in the eyes of God, it is fulfillment.
c
with the Father and this came to be because the Father laid on him the iniquity of all humanity.46
Christ through the divine depth of his filial union with the Father perceives in a humanly
inexpressible way the suffering which is the separation, the rejection by the Father, the
estrangement from God.47 But precisely through this suffering he accomplishes the redemption
when Jesus said ³It is finished.´ 48 Thus after exposing the suffering that was conquered by
Christ, John Paul II is challenging people to put their suffering into the suffering of Christ.
As Christians who follows Christ, he has to suffer with him too. As Isaiah puts it that the
offering of Jesus is a worthwhile offering for he washed away all the sins of humanity:
³If he gives his life as an offering for sin, he shall see his descendants in a long
life , and the will of the Lord shall be accomplished through him. Because of his
affliction he shall see the light in fullness of days; through his suffering, my
servant shall justify many and their guilt he shall bear. Therefore I will give him
his portion among the great, and he shall divide the spoils with the mighty.
Because he surrendered himself to death and was wicked; and he shall take away
the sins of many and win pardon for their offenses.´49
For John Paul II the passion of Christ has made a new scenario for human suffering for
he came and lives as humans do to bring the message that came from his Father. He became the
mediator of man and God amidst the suffering he encountered. Moreover, it is only through the
Cross that he fulfills his obedience to his Father. Thus John Paul II implies that;
³In the cross of Christ not only is Redemption accomplished through suffering but
also human suffering itself has been redeemed. Christ without any fault of his
own took on himself the total evil of sin. The experience of this evil determined
46
Ibid p.4
47
Ibid p.4
48
C.f John 19: 30
49
Isaiah 53: 10 -12
The redemption of Christ is described as the New Covenant which was sealed in the Blood of
³You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your
fathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious
blood of Christ like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.´52
Hence the New Covenant speaks of the greatness of the Redemption, accomplished
³The Redeemer suffered in place of man and for man. Every man has his own
share in the Redemption. Each one is also called to share in that sufferingthrough
50
Ibid p.4, Redemption means here is the virtue in which God frees or ransoms people. in the encyclical of
John Paul II, ,''!à 1R 1+! à & ,
2 ! /$ )states that Jesus Christ
because of his love to his father and his love to humanity became human to redeem humanity, prior to this
encyclical, he wrote when he was just one year in the papacy the encyclical, Pope John Paul II ,''!à ,
!1Rà , !
( March 4, 1979) states that The Redeemer of man, Jesus Christ, is the center of
the universe and of history. To Him go my thoughts and my heart in this solemn moment of the world that the
Church and the whole family of present-day humanity are now living. This act of redemption marked the high point
of the history of man within God's loving plan. God entered the history of humanity and, as a man, became an actor
in that history, one of the thousands of millions of human beings but at the same time Unique! Through the
Incarnation God gave human life the dimension that He intended man to have from his first beginning; he has
granted that dimension definitively-in the way that is peculiar to Him alone, in keeping with His eternal love and
mercy, with the full freedom of God-and He has granted it also with the bounty that enables us, in considering the
original sin and the whole history of the sins of humanity, and in considering the errors of the human intellect, will
and heart, to repeat with amazement the words of the sacred liturgy: "O happy fault...which gained us so great a
Redeemer!"
Ibid p.4 there a new covenant due to the fact that there is an old covenant, one may knows that the old
covenant focuses on the law of Israel or it is centered on the Mosaic Law, on the other hand, the new covenant is
rooted in Jesus Christ. In the INSTRUCTION ON CHRISTIAN FREEDOM AND LIBERATION, Sacred
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
*',à.àR 1R'1à.3à ! )
+
´ (March 22, 1986) states that the major and fundamental event
of the Exodus therefore has a meaning which is both religious and political. God sets His people free and gives them
descendants, a land and a law, but within a Covenant and for a Covenant. One cannot therefore isolate the political
aspect for its own sake; it has to be considered in the light of a plan of a religious nature within which it is
integrated. In His plan of salvation, God gave Israel its law. This contained, together with the universal moral
precepts of the Decalogue, religious and civil norms which were to govern the life of the people chosen by God to
be His witness among the nations. Of this collection of laws, love of God above all things. on the other hand, the
new covenant The People of God of the New Covenant is the Church of Christ. Her law is the commandment of
love. In the hearts of her members the Spirit dwells as in a temple. She is the seed and the beginning of the kingdom
of God here below, which will receive its completion at the end of time with the resurrection of the dead and the
renewal of the whole of creation.
52
Ibid p.4; C.f. 1 Pet. 1:18-19,
In bringing about the Redemption through suffering, Christ has also raised human suffering to
the level of the RedemptionThus each man, in his suffering, can also become a partaker in the
³It is through sharing the redemptive suffering of Christ that a person can realize
that suffering has a new meaning. St. Paul speaks of various sufferings and in
particular, of those in which the first Christians became sharers ³for the sake of
Christ.´54
These sufferings enable the recipients of the letter to share in the work of Redemption,
accomplished through the suffering and death of the Redeemer.55 Moreover, Pope John Paul II
states that the expression of the cross and death is fulfilled by the expression of resurrection.
53
Ibid, p. 4.
54
Ibid,p.4
55
John Paul II, ,
, !
(Pasay: Daughter of St. Paul Publishing House
Inc., 1979) He states that the Redeemer of man, Jesus Christ, is the center of the universe and of history. he even
quoted that To Him go his thoughts and his heart in the solemn moment of the world that the Church and the whole
family of present-day humanity are now living. In fact, this time, in which God in His hidden design has entrusted to
him, after his beloved predecessor John Paul I, the universal service connected with the Chair of St. Peter in Rome,
is already very close to the year 2000. At this moment it is difficult to say what mark that year will leave on the face
of human history or what it will bring to each people, nation, country and continent, in spite of the efforts already
being made to foresee some events. For the Church, the People of God spread, although unevenly, to the most
distant limits of the earth, it will be the year of a great Jubilee. Christians are already approaching that date, which,
without prejudice to all the corrections imposed by chronological exactitude, will recall and reawaken in us in a
special way our awareness of the key truth of faith which St. John expressed at the beginning of his Gospel: "The
Word became flesh and dwelt among us,'' and elsewhere: "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that
whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.´ in addition, in his Encyclical ,
&
, , August 15,1989 ( CD-ROOM), which his personal devotion to St. Joseph implies that In
the human growth of Jesus "in wisdom, age and grace," the virtue of industriousness played a notable role, since
"work is a human good" which "transforms nature" and makes man "in a sense, more human." The importance of
work in human life demands that its meaning be known and assimilated in order to "help all people to come closer to
God, the Creator and Redeemer, to participate in his
plan for man and the world, and to deepen . . .
friendship with Christ in their lives, by accepting, through faith, a living participation in his threefold mission as
Priest, Prophet and King. Furthermore, John Paul II, ,
! ! , , March 25, 1987
( CD ± ROOM) John Paul II states that The Mother of the Redeemer has a precise place in the plan of salvation, for
"when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who
were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of
his Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!'" (Gal. 4:4-6)
With these words of the Apostle Paul, which the Second Vatican Council takes up at the beginning of its
treatment of the Blessed Virgin Mary, The Pope wish to begin his reflection on the role of Mary in the mystery of
Christ and on her active and exemplary presence in the life of the Church. For they are words which celebrate
together the love of the Father, the mission of the Son, the gift of the Spirit, the role of the woman from whom the
Redeemer was born, and human¶s divine filiation, in the mystery of the "fullness of time.
Man finds in the Resurrection a completely new light, which helps him to go forward through the
thick darkness of humiliations, doubts, hopelessness and persecution.´56 Thus the Apostle Paul
will also write in the Second Letter to the Corinthians, ³For as we share abundantly in Christ
Hence, humanity shares in the suffering of Christ because in the first place Christ has
³The very participation in Christ's suffering finds, in these apostolic expressions, as it were a
twofold dimension. If one becomes a sharer in the sufferings of Christ, this happens because
Christ has opened His suffering to man, because He Himself in His redemptive suffering has
become, in a certain sense, a sharer in all human sufferings. Man, discovering through faith the
redemptive suffering of Christ also discovers in it his own sufferings. He rediscovers them,
through faith, enriched with a new content and new meaning.´58
In other words Christ became humans in order that humans become God. He shares to
humanity that he too despite the son of God must suffer to shows that he is with humanity. Thus
on the part of humanity, it is through faith that man realizes the redemptive suffering of Christ
through his own suffering. Man participates for it is initiate first by God by his own suffering.
St. Paul in his Letter to Galatians discovers the caused that he was impelled to writes;
³For through the law I died to the law, that I might live for God. I have been
crucified with Christ; yet I live no longer I but Christ lives in me insofar as I now
live in the flesh, I live by faith in the son of God who has loved me and given
himself up for me.´59
56
Ibidp. 5
57
Ibid,p. 5; c.f. 2 Cor. 1:5
58
Ibidp. 5
59
c.f. Gal. 2:19-20, in the Homily of Cardinal Camillo Ruini as he represents the Holy Father who followed
the celebration from his apartment implies that Christ¶s Cross conquers all human suffering. In suffering that one
can see the strength and hope shine brightly from the cross, maybe for others it is humiliation for the son of God to
suffer and die but it shed light on the mystery of God and the mystery of man. Indeed if one look at the many human
sufferings especially the suffering of the innocent, one is ask whether God loves humanity and take care of it, or by
chance an evil destiny exists that not even God can change. In the Cross of Christ, on the other hand one come, into
Thus St. Paul offered his suffering to God and put his trust and his faith in him. So, for
him faith enables him to know the love which led Christ to Cross. Hence Christ is united with the
through faith that the cross reaches man together with the Resurrection. St. Paul writes explains
the reason for his own suffering namely, ³that I may know him and the power of his Resurrection
and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death that if possible I may attain the
resurrection from the dead.´61 Consequently it can be said that the suffering that the apostles
encountered, especially thou of St. Paul have a sense of glorification which finds its beginning in
Christ¶s Cross.
Pope John Paul II describes that the Cross and Resurrection finds its meaning in God¶s
invitation to enter into his kingdom. As Paul supplement in his letter to the Thessalonians;
³We ourselves boast of you, for your steadfastness and faith in all your
persecutions and in the afflictions which you are enduring. This is evidence of the
contact with the true face of God, in the words of Jesus himself who tells us, ³no one knows the Son except the
Father, and no one knows the father except the Son and anyone to whom the son chooses to reveal him.´(Mt. 11;
27). It is on the cross that Jesus does not discourage or weaken humanity, on the contrary from the Cross springs
energy that is particularly radiant on the tired face of the Holy Father. For the full content of the homily see
#
,
, L¶OSSERVATORE ROMANO, N.12, March 23, 2005,
60
In his General Audience, September 08, 1982, he emphasized that Christ redemptive love has a spousal
nature, as he quote the Letter to Ephesians: "No man ever hates his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, as
Christ does the Church, because we are members of his body" (Eph 5:29-30) In the overall context of the Letter to
the Ephesians and likewise in the wider context of the words of Holy Scripture, which reveal God's
plan
"from the beginning'', one must admit that here the term "
" signifies the mystery first of all hidden in God's
mind. and later revealed in the history of man. Indeed, it is a question of a "great" mystery, given its importance: that
mystery, as God's
plan in regard to humanity, is in a certain sense the central theme of the whole of
revelation, its central reality. It is this that God, as Creator and Father, wishes above all to transmit to mankind in his
Word.
61
Ibidp. 5; Phil. 3:10-11
righteous judgment of God, that you may be made worthy of the Kingdom of God
for which you are suffering.´62
In other words to share the sufferings of Christ is at the same time to share in the hope of
the Kingdom of God. It is noteworthy that, before his judgment, those who share in the
³Through their sufferings, in a certain sense they repay the infinite price of the
Passion and death of Christ, which became the price of our Redemption: at this
price the Kingdom of God has been strengthened anew in human history,
becoming the definitive prospect of man¶s earthly existence.´63
Christ has led humanity into this Kingdom through his suffering and redemption that one
is growing in that kingdom. Thus those who share in the sufferings of Christ are also called,
through their own sufferings to share in glory. As Paul articulates in his letter to the Romans:
³we are fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also glorify
62
JohIbidp. 5;c.f. 2 Thess. 1:4-5, John Paul II, ,
!
!
with him. I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the
becomes the reference point of the apostles after Jesus left them. The resurrection became the
manifestation of glory, which corresponds to Christ lifted in the cross. The fact that the Cross for
human is suffering for Christµs emptying of himself,65 yet at the same time in the mind of God is
his being lifted up to another level which the Father and Son only knows..66 On the Cross, Christ
attained and fully accomplished his mission by fulfilling the will of the Father. ³In weakness he
manifested his power and in humiliation he manifested all his messianic greatness.´67 This can
be manifested through generations by the martyrs and confessors of Christ who are faithful to the
words of Christ. The Resurrection of Christ expressed man¶s spiritual greatness as seen in the
64
Ibidp. 5,c.f. Rom. 8:17-18
65
C.f. Phil. 2:6-7
66
C.f. John 3:14, furthermore, in his
martyrs when they suffered and gave their lives for truth and just cause. Thus through their
However, suffering is always a trial, which can be very hard and difficult for human
beings. But this is the paradox that John Paul II sees in the interplay of weakness and strength as
the Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians expressed it, ³I will all the more gladly boast of my
weaknesses, that the power of Christ may upon me,´68 In his another letter he puts it, ³I am not
ashamed for his suffering; and therefore I suffer as I do but I am not ashamed for I know whom I
have believed.´69
John Paul II points out that the people who share in Christ¶s sufferings bear witness to
the Paschal Mystery of the Cross and Resurrection whereby Christ came down and was nailed on
the Cross. The weakness is accomplished by his being lifted up through the confirmation of
resurrection.70 Hence the weakness of all human sufferings is capable of being infused with the
same power of God manifested on the Cross of Christ. In that case humans who accept the Cross
³In him God has confirmed his desire to act especially through suffering, which
is man's weakness and emptying of self, and he wishes to make his power known
precisely in this weakness and emptying of self.´71
68
Ibidp. 5;c.f.2 Cor. 12:9
69
Ibid,p. 5. C.f. 2 Tim. 1:12
70
Ibidp. 5, in his encyclical '
" &
, the Holy Father states in his conclusion
that resurrection was reached for he lives again, the person who suffered for the sake of humanity conquers suffering
through his death. For more details see further the encyclical of holy father, John Paul II, '
" ( Pasay:
Daughters of St. Paul Publishing House, 1995)
71
Ibidp. 5; in his Homily during the palm Sunday of 1990, April 8, the Holy Father that emptying of Jesus
Christ gave humanity eternal life. In emptying, Jesus Christ exalted above all things, Man, in fact, exists between the
borders of humiliation and emptying by death and the unsuppressible desire for exaltation, dignity and glory. That is
The letter to Peter explains to that Christians must not be ashamed when they suffer: ³Yet
if one suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but under that name let him glorify God.´72
³Do you know that your bodies are members of Christ bodies?´74 The union of
Christ and man in the society of the church has begun in the Paschal Mystery as
uttered; ³that already in the act of Baptism, which brings about a configuration
which Christ and then through his sacrifice sacramentally through the Eucharist
the Church is continually being built up spiritually as Body of Christ.´75
Thus as members of the church each one has this role in completing the suffering of Jesus
Christ. The suffering of Christ created the good of the world¶s redemption which is inexhaustible
and infinite. Likewise the redemptive suffering of Christ was opened to a community particularly
the Church. The church which he was founded includes the totality of humanity and the world
which he redeemed through his inexpressible love he experienced between his father in heaven
the measure of the human being. That is the extent of e human being's earthly needs. That is the meaning of the
human being's dignity which cannot be renounced and the basis for all human rights.
72
Ibidp. 5;c.f. 1 Pet. 4:16
73
Col. 1:24
74
1 Cor. 6:15
75
The ³Body of Christ´ in the NT, it is a paramount importance in the mystery of the redemption. The term
however, has a variety of meanings. Sometimes the phrase indicates the individual body of Jesus, sometimes his
Eucharistic body and other times that body of which humanity are members and which is the church. For further
readings please consult, Xavier Leon Dufour,
à ( Pasay: Daughters of St. Paul
Publishing House, 1990)pp.54-55
John Paul II, R
, p. 6
The openness of Jesus Christ to human suffering brings about redemption to humanity by
his own suffering. Yet at the same time, despite the completeness of the suffering of Christ, it
subsists in the church for it is considered as his Body. Thus the church completes the redemptive
work of Christ.77 In this sense, it highlighted the human and divine dimension of the church as
she completes the suffering of Christ. Hence, human suffering has special values in the Church.
The fact that the gospel of suffering was handed to church by Christ, the church also
participates in Christ¶s mission in sharing the redemptive suffering. Moreover this ³suffering can
be a rich source for all those who shared in Jesus sufferings among the first generation of his
disciples down the centuries.´78 This fact is seen especially in the person of Mary for she bore all
the sufferings of her son from the time of the Annunciation until the crucifixion of her son. The
words of the prophet Simeon confirmed that she would suffer a lot due to a very important
mission that her son would accomplish in the course of human history. And it was further
confirmed by her anxieties and by the pains she experienced as they fled to Egypt to escape the
Furthermore, it was on Calvary that she intensely shared the suffering of her son. In that
singular event, whereby redemption was fulfilled, Jesus Christ handed down to her mother, the
perfect disciple, the truth about suffering, that it is redemptive. Thus Mary, being a witness to the
passion of her son, shared Jesus¶ suffering in a unique way by embodying it, She also shared it to
77
Ibidp. 6, as a Body of Christ, it has also a share wherein the church is the channels for the people who
are suffering to encounters Jesus who suffered too.
78
Ibidp. 6
79
Ibidp. 6
c
the rest of believers. Hence, the truth about suffering was handed down from generation to
generation namely that the suffering of Christ brought humanity redemption. However, the truth
about the suffering is also found in the church, for even mother Mary is part of the church. As
³In the light of the unmatchable example of Christ, reflected with singular clarity
in the life of his Mother, the Gospel of suffering, through the experience and
words of the Apostles, becomes an inexhaustible source for the ever new
generationsthat succeed one another in the history of the Church. The Gospel of
suffering signifies not only the presence of suffering in the Gospel, as one of the
themes of the Good News, but also the revelation of the
power and
significanceof suffering in Christ's messianic mission and, subsequently,
in the mission and vocation of the Church.´80
The truth about the suffering is the suffering µfor Christ or for the sake of Christ.¶ Hence
suffering has a divine dimension which human could understand when one offers his suffering
for the sake of Christ. As Pope John Paul II states in his general audience
³Offer your suffering for Christ sake. This is to shows that Jesus did not hide the
hope of sufferings to his disciples and followers in order that they may imitate the
deeper meaning of suffering.81
John Paul II continues his exhortation that Christ did not hide from his listeners
the need for suffering. ³If any man would come after me, let him take up his cross
daily.´82
He states further that Jesus reveals the hope of suffering with frankness. ³His disciples
have to understand that there is a supernatural assistance that will help them in the midst of
80
Ibidp. 6
81
Ibidp. 6
c
!""!!#!!!
$!!#
persecutions and tribulations for the sake of Christ.´83 John Paul II continues that persecutions
and tribulations are particular proofs in uniting with the suffering of Christ, as Jesus states,
³If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated it hated you, but
because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the
world hates you, a servant is not greater than his master. If they persecute you, but
all this they will do not know him who sent me.´84
In other words Jesus is giving assurance to be his follower is to endure many sufferings
people will inflict but a real disciple is to imitate Christ in his suffering. Hence, the expression of
the Resurrection brings about a call to courage and fortitude for the followers of Jesus Christ.85
Indeed suffering has been victorious over the world whereby it was manifested in the
event of Resurrection. The Resurrection of Christ manifests the triumph of suffering even if he
Thus the truth about suffering from the ages always returns to the Resurrection event
even for the suffering people who follow Christ. Hence it is written that the gospel of suffering
been poured out to the suffering people, drawing them close to Christ. There are many saints
among the ages who experienced grace being poured out upon them leading them to conversion.
As John Paul II describes; ³a result of such a conversion is not only that the individual discovers
the
meaning of suffering but above all that he becomes a completely new person.´86 In
83
Ibidp. 6
84
Ibidp. 6
85
Ibidp. 6, in his Homily, during the mass for the sick on February 11, 1984, the Holy Father, stressed out
that the people who are suffering should offer their sufferings for the conversion of the world. This is following up
the publication of his Apostolic Letter, ³ R
´ as he points out that man must understand the gravity of
sin, of offending God and be converted to him who, through love creted him and calls him to everlasting happiness.
He even addressed the sick that they must accept their pains with courage and confidence and for all those who
suffer in the world because of religious persecutions, due to painful political and social situations or who are victims
of corruptions of customs and reigning climate of materialism and hedonism; or who wander without faith and
without certainty in indifference or religious denial. For they too can obtain grace of light, repentance, conversion
and salvation for their brothers and sisters. For the complete text of the Homily, see L¶OSSERVATORE ROMANO,
N.9, February 27, 1984, page 4 & page 12.
86
Ibidp. 6
this sense man discovers the dimension of his life and his vocations. The discovery is a particular
confirmation of the spiritual greatness which in man surpasses the body in a way that is
The body88 when one experiences pain and when one is incapacitated to work, that one
can discover a grace that will strengthens one to treat suffering as the same with normal person.
when the person learned to love his suffering that a person can possessed such maturity
particularly in his spirituality. Pope John Paul II continues that spiritual greatness and interior
maturity are the result of the Holy Spirit which guides humanity in their suffering:
³This interior maturity and spiritual greatness in suffering are certainly the result
of a particular conversion and cooperation with the grace of the Crucified
Redeemer. It is he himself who acts at the heart of human sufferings through his
Spirit of truth, through the consoling Spirit. It is he who transforms, in a certain
sense, the very substance of the spiritual life, indicating for the person who suffers
a place close to himself. It is he4as the interior Master and Guide²who reveals
to the suffering brother and sister this wonderful interchangesituated at the very
heart of the mystery of the Redemption. Suffering is, in itself, an experience of
evil. But Christ has made suffering the firmest basis of the definitive good,
namely the good of eternal salvation. By his suffering on the Cross, Christ
reached the very roots of evil, of sin and death.´89
87
Ibidp. 6
88
Ibidp. 6, in his book Theology of the Body, the Holy Father discussed the Body in relation to the original
plan of God which man and woman, he created them. John Paul II, Theology of the Body; Man and Woman he
Created them (Boston: Pauline Books and Media Publishing House,2006), in his General Audience on February 11,
1981, he continues to catechesize the people regarding the holiness of the body that the body is the temple of the
holy spirit, hence one has to preserved it. General Audience: February 11, 1981, The virtue of purity is the
expression and fruit
of life according to the Spirit
89
Ibidp. 6, in the article of Jane E. Linahan entitled; à &
R #à R
R
!
5
,( Massachusetts: Herder and Herder Publishing House, 1991)
states that the presence of the Spirit in the event of the cross is thus understood in terms of what results from this
event, the grace and mercy that flow forth upon lost human beings from the surrender of Father and Son. While this
is by no means negligible, it is not yet a full explication of the role of the Spirit in the cross as a Trinitarian event.
Moreover, The Holy Spirit is therefore the link in the separation. He is the link joining the bond between the Father
and the Son, with their separation.´ In and through the Spirit, their separation is in identity with their union: the
separation of the cross is the actualization of their union of will in their mutual surrender. The moment of their
deepest separation can be the moment of their deepest union because this is encompassed and empowered by the
Holy Spirit: ³The power which leads him into abandonment by the Father is the power which at the same time unites
him with the Father.´ That the Father and Son are engaged in a ³single surrendering movement´ is possible because
In short, the Holy Spirit guides Jesus Christ in order that he may be faithfully fulfill his
mission of his Father. Thus if one is attentive and if one has already realized that the creator
conquered evil as the source of suffering, one can see the horizons of the kingdom of God
whenever one is confronted with the reality of suffering. And Jesus Christ shows slowly how to
reach the kingdom of God through the heart of suffering. For John Paul II, ³suffering cannot be
transformed and changed by a grace from outside but from within,´ 90 for Christ¶
suffering is very much present in every human suffering and it can act from within.
Furthermore, the Redeemer wants also to bring the suffering people close to the heart of
his mother, ³the first and the most exalted of all the redeemed.´91 The dying Christ conferred in
her the new kind of motherhood which the spiritual mother yet at the same time mother of all
³that every individual can sustain the faith they received during the resurrection
might remain which is closely united to him unto the Cross, and so that every
form of suffering, given fresh life by the power of this cross should become no
longer the weakness of man but the power of God. ³92
In other words, people who put their faith and trust to the Lord will be help by God to
carry their crosses. A person who suffers often reacts and protests and asks for the cause of
suffering. Moreover, the question about suffering often leads to questions about God and Christ.
But even Jesus Christ himself experienced this when he was in pain. As John Paul II states;
the surrender of each, which issues in this single movement, is motivated and activated out of the same source and
the same energy, the Spirit of God.
90
Ibidp. 6
91
Ibidp. 6
92
Ibid,p. 6, mostly if not all the encyclicals and letters of the Holy Father invokes always the intercession
of mother Mary for he knows that Mother Mary has always a special hearts by his son Jesus. This year is a year
dedicated to the heart of Jesus and to the heart of Mary.
³For Christ does not answer directly and he does not answer in the abstract this
human questioning about the meaning of suffering. Man hears Christ¶s saving
answer as he himself gradually becomes a sharer in the suffering of Christ.´93
Furthermore, the answer that was given by Christ regarding suffering is not direct.
Instead, Jesus Christ invites the people who suffer to follow him. Pope John Paul II invites
everyone to a vocation; ³Follow me! Come take part through your suffering in this work of
saving the world, a salvation achieved through my suffering, through my cross.´94 This means
that the individual would find meaning in his suffering gradually by uniting spiritually with the
Cross of Christ. Thus the meaning of salvation was revealed before human for one cannot
discover the meaning if one only looks at the human dimension. One can¶t look through the
Thus, the
meaning of suffering comes down to the level of humanity wherein it
prompts individual to response. Hence man finds in his suffering interior peace and even
spiritual joy. In the letter of Paul to the Colossians, joy is found in overcoming the sense of the
sufferings for your sake.´95 This is contradictory to people who give up when a person suffers,
one thinks that one is a burden to others and seems so useless. Nevertheless John Paul makes it
In short, person who suffers understand the suffering of Christ and making
John Paul II further describes that, ³it is suffering that clears the way for the grace that is
present in the history of humanity the powers of Redemption.´97 This means that the suffering of
humanity which is united with the Redemptive suffering of Christ constitutes a special support
for the powers of good and opens the way to the victory of the
powers.98 Thus those who
share in the sufferings of Christ preserve in their own sufferings a very special particle of the
infinite treasure of the world¶s Redemption that can be shared with others.99 The more a person
is threatened by sin, the heavier the structures of sin become. For this, the church which is the
partner of Christ has the role to save the people from their slavery of sin.
After discussing the gospel of suffering, John Paul II tries to present suffering by
knowing one¶s neighbor. Reality tells that one can really know a real friend in times when one
is suffering or undergoing a crisis in life. This is true also for John Paul II, for in suffering one
can say ³who is my neighbor?´ 100 These were the words taken from the story of the Good
%#$
97
John Paul II, R
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p. 7, in his encyclical,
,''!à 1R 1+!à & ,
,March 25,19 84 indicates that the year of redemption
brings with it a particular call to conversion and reconciliation with God in Jesus Christ. Through the work of
Christ's Redemption "God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given
to humanity.
98
Ibidp. 7
99
Ibidp. 7
100
Ibidp. 7,c.f.lk.10:29
Samaritan.101 The story tells about a half dead man who was robbed and stripped near Jericho
and there were three travelers who passed that way. But the first two ignore the half dead man
³The Samaritan saw the victim and has compassion on him, went to him, bound
up his wounds then brought him to an inn and took care of him. And when he left,
he solicitously entrusted the suffering man to the innkeeper promising to meet any
expenses.´102
This story explains what it means to be a neighbor, for it takes to establish relationship
towards a person others before knowing a real neighbor. To be a real neighbor one has to stop at
the person who was wounded not to avoid it by diverting to other route. For John Paul II, to stop
beside a suffering person whatever form suffering takes is to be a Good Samaritan. For John
Paul II, the act of stopping has more important meaning. He states;
&Stopping does not mean curiosity but availability. It is like the opening of a
certain interior disposition of the heart, which also has an emotional expression of
its own. The name µGood Samaritan¶ fits every individual who is sensitive to the
sufferings of others, who µis moved¶ by the misfortune of another. If Christ, who
knows the interior of man, emphasizes this compassion, this means that it is
important for our whole attitude to others' suffering. Therefore one must cultivate
this sensitivity of heart, which bears witness to compassion towards a suffering
person. Sometimes this compassion remains the only or principal expression of
our love for and solidarity with the sufferer.´103
Furthermore, for John Paul II, the compassion and sympathy of the Good Samaritan does
not stop there but it becomes an incentive to help the injured man. Hence the Good Samaritan is
every person who helps the suffering whatever this may take; ³besides helping is giving his
101
Ibidp. 8.c.f. lk. 10:33-34, in his homily for the sick on Sunday, February 11, 1990 stressing the pilgrims
to reenact the parable of the Good Samaritan in caring for the vast multitude of persons who are sick or suffering, by
revealing and communicating healing love and Jesus Christ consolation, moreover, the initiative of the pilgrimage to
Lourdes unites in unique and effective community service, the priests, health care workers, doctor, nurses. See
further L¶OSSERVATORE ROMANO, N.8, February 10, 1990, page 5. C.f.
* , n. 53.
102
Ibidp. 8
103
Ibidp. 8
whole heart to help the suffering persons.´104 In addition, as one pursues the truth about suffering
one can say it is present under many different forms in human world. Nonetheless the Good
Samaritan too can be present in many ways to unleash love in the human person. Hence human
persons are challenged to love profoundly their neighbor who is suffering for that is the work of
the Good Samaritan. This work of the Good Samaritan can be widespread among all the human
professions. If only people could be attentive to the sufferings of their neighbor, Besides some of
their profession allow them to learn and experience on the suffering of people. Hence the Parable
of the Good Samaritan became ³one of the essential elements of moral culture and universally
human civilization.´105 Thus there is a reason to be grateful for the people who stopped and made
Samaritan is voluntary and this is called social work whereby one freely assumes to provide and
devote his time and energy to the suffering person. It is an apostolate by which one assumes
clearly one¶s motivation to be of service to the church even to other Christian Communion.107
Finally, even the family according to John Paul II can be a Good-Samaritan if they act with love
for their neighbor. Thus through the story of the Good Samaritan the Christian love of neighbor
104
Ibidp. 8
105
Ibidp. 9
106
Ibidp. 9, the term apostolate is a Christian term which means sharing in the work of Christ by the laity
and even the priest that represents the church. In the Sacred Congregation for Religious and for Secular Institutes;
'
'
à
,
*
. )
.
May 31, 1983
introduced The renewal of religious life during the past twenty years has been in many respects an experience of
faith. Courageous and generous efforts have been made to explore prayerfully and deeply what it means to live the
consecrated life according to the Gospel, the founding charism of a religious institute, and the signs of the times.
Religious institutes dedicated to works of the apostolate have tried, in addition, to meet the changes required by the
rapidly evolving societies to which they are sent and by the developments in communication which affect their
possibilities of evangelization. At the same time, these institutes have been dealing with sudden shifts in their own
internal situations: rising median age, fewer vocations, diminishing numbers, pluriformity of lifestyle and works,
and frequently insecurity regarding identity. The result has been an understandably mixed experience with many
positive aspects and some which raise important questions.
107
Ibidp. 9
forms the framework of social life and interhuman relationships and combat, on this front the
various forms of hatred, violence, cruelty, contempt for others, or simple insensitivity.
Moreover, John Paul II describes further to educate people about the story of the Good
Samaritan. He points out that there is an it important attitude one has to understand, namely right
education. He states;
The church too has to do the same. She must bring to the people the motivations which
Christ placed in the parable and in the whole Gospel for it teaches people how to love their
³Institutions are very important and indispensable but no institution can by itself
replace the human heart, human compassion, human love or human initiative
when it is a question of dealing with the suffering of another.´109
This refers to physical suffering but it is even truer when it comes to the many kinds of
108
Ibidp. 9
109
ibidp. 9
As discussed earlier the parable of the Good Samaritan belongs to the Gospel of
suffering. It goes hand in hand with the history of the church and Christianity. It describes the
attitude of passivity. Moreover Jesus Christ reverses the situation for it enters into the field of
suffering by fulfilling and accomplishing the messianic program of his mission according to the
prophets.
³The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the
good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and
recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to
proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.´110
This messianic mission was accomplished by Jesus Christ by doing good and he shows it
especially to the people who are suffering. He did good to the people around him who are
abandoned and segregated in the community. One of the most important things John Paul II
presents is that people have difficulties grasping and understanding the final Judgment. Despite
all the realities of suffering, whether physical or moral, a person is also confronted with the
questions if during the judgment day, would he be saved by God. Nevertheless, the judgment is
for all people, both for the good and the bad. As St. Mathew puts it;
³ Come, o blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and
you gave me drink, I was stranger and you welcomed me, I was in prison and you
came to me.´111
This means that people will be judged according to what they did in their lifetimes. When the
time comes that humanity meet the Judge God, they will be put to trial. Thus they may either be
rewarded or punished.
110
Ibidp. 9,c.f. Lk. 4; 18-19; Is. 61:1-2
111
John Paul II, R
!
R
p. 10,c.f Mt. 25:34-36
c
The kingdom of God is part of the messianic mission of Jesus Christ. ³Suffering is
present in the world in order to release love, in order to give birth to works of love towards
neighbor in order to transform the whole human civilization into a civilization of love.´112 This is
suffered in order that humanity may understand what love is all about. For he experienced too
the meaning of love that comes from his father. He himself is present in the suffering of person
since his
suffering has been opened once and for all to every human suffering. And all
those who suffer have been called once and for all to become sharers in Christ suffering.113 Thus
Christ has taught man to do good by his suffering and to do good to those who suffer in order
112
Ibidp. 10
113
Ibidp. 11