Art and the Beauty of God,<\/em> which has become something of a classic.<\/p>\nHidden away in the book is one of the best (if incomplete) summaries I know of the problem of suffering and how the Christian can deal with the matter and live through it.<\/p>\n
Harries begins by saying, \u201cThe almost overwhelming objection to believing that there is a wise and living power behind the universe is the existence of so much pain and anguish in the world.\u201d Christians can live with this objection by recognizing that the problem of suffering can never be answered in this life. But, for non-believers the problem is insurmountable.<\/p>\n
Harries\u2019 first explanation of suffering is that God has given humanity genuine independence. \u201cWe are genuinely free, within limits, however narrow, to shape our destiny; and that means being free to choose what is harmful to others and oneself, as well as what is beneficial.\u201d Given God\u2019s overall purpose in creation to bring about free, rational beings like us, it could not be otherwise.<\/p>\n
Think about it: If all of a sudden, human beings were to change fundamentally for the good, exercising their freedom for good purposes only, how radically different the world would be.<\/p>\n
Harries\u2019 second explanation concerning suffering is that \u201cin the person of Jesus, God himself has come among us and shares our anguish to the full, even in the darkness of the Cross.\u201d This is why the image of Christ on the Cross is so consoling to Christians. \u201cChrist,\u201d said French philosopher Blaise Pascal, \u201cdies until the end of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
God is not absent in the experience of suffering; he is in the midst of it. God is not distant, in a remote heaven, apathetic to human suffering. He is the God who, in Christ, carries the Cross through history.<\/p>\n
Harries\u2019 third explanation is that \u201cin the Resurrection of Christ we have a sign and promise that in the end God\u2019s purpose of love will prevail; will overcome all that is destructive and evil, all suffering and death. There will be a \u201cglorious consummation\u201d of the whole creation. The whole human and physical world will find its proper fulfilment.<\/p>\n
Harries quotes Romans 8:21, the fullest biblical statement about the end of the whole created order: \u201cCreation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God.\u201d All will be \u201ctransfigured and irradiated by the glory of God in Christ; all will be translucent to the divine beauty.\u201d<\/p>\n
I add my own additional \u201cexplanations\u201d to Bishop Harries\u2019 list. First is the truth that God is present in suffering and illness through doctors, nurses, healthcare personnel, and hospice workers. Their healing power is the creation and gift of God. The sacrament of Anointing before surgery is profoundly connected to the gift of medicine; it complements it.<\/p>\n
When a person dies in or after surgery, we should not imagine that God\u2019s gift in the Anointing rite has failed. It has to be placed in the context of God\u2019s gift of eternal life offered to the deceased person.<\/p>\n
A final principle: God is present and active in the sickness and dying of a friend or relative through us, through our being at the sick or dying person\u2019s bedside.<\/p>\n
We are participants in God\u2019s gift by being with the sick person, not primarily by talking or offering explanations of sickness and dying, but simply \u201cbeing there\u201d in loving compassion and solidarity.<\/p>\n
Msgr. Mannion is pastor emeritus of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Salt Lake City. Reprinted by permission of Catholic News Agency.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
We are participants in God\u2019s gift by being with the sick person, not primarily by talking or offering explanations of sickness and dying.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":78,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[17,3125],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33548","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-liturgical-spirituality","category-viewpoint"],"yoast_head":"\n
Viewpoint: How Christians Can Deal with the Experience of Suffering - Home<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2016\/07\/29\/viewpoint-how-christians-can-deal-with-the-experience-of-suffering\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Viewpoint: How Christians Can Deal with the Experience of Suffering - Home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"We are participants in God\u2019s gift by being with the sick person, not primarily by talking or offering explanations of sickness and dying.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2016\/07\/29\/viewpoint-how-christians-can-deal-with-the-experience-of-suffering\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-07-29T18:56:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2017-10-22T01:43:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/pt.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"411\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"90\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Francis Mannion\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Francis Mannion\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2016\\\/07\\\/29\\\/viewpoint-how-christians-can-deal-with-the-experience-of-suffering\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2016\\\/07\\\/29\\\/viewpoint-how-christians-can-deal-with-the-experience-of-suffering\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Francis Mannion\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/00056ecece512f638325309e2ecba809\"},\"headline\":\"Viewpoint: How Christians Can Deal with the Experience of Suffering\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-07-29T18:56:32+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-10-22T01:43:33+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2016\\\/07\\\/29\\\/viewpoint-how-christians-can-deal-with-the-experience-of-suffering\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":636,\"commentCount\":6,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Liturgical Spirituality\",\"Viewpoint\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2016\\\/07\\\/29\\\/viewpoint-how-christians-can-deal-with-the-experience-of-suffering\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2016\\\/07\\\/29\\\/viewpoint-how-christians-can-deal-with-the-experience-of-suffering\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2016\\\/07\\\/29\\\/viewpoint-how-christians-can-deal-with-the-experience-of-suffering\\\/\",\"name\":\"Viewpoint: How Christians Can Deal with the Experience of Suffering - Home\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2016-07-29T18:56:32+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-10-22T01:43:33+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2016\\\/07\\\/29\\\/viewpoint-how-christians-can-deal-with-the-experience-of-suffering\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2016\\\/07\\\/29\\\/viewpoint-how-christians-can-deal-with-the-experience-of-suffering\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2016\\\/07\\\/29\\\/viewpoint-how-christians-can-deal-with-the-experience-of-suffering\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Viewpoint: How Christians Can Deal with the Experience of Suffering\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Home\",\"description\":\"Worship, Wit & Wisdom\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Home\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/09\\\/cropped-BlogHeaderFinal2.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/09\\\/cropped-BlogHeaderFinal2.jpg\",\"width\":1340,\"height\":209,\"caption\":\"Home\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/00056ecece512f638325309e2ecba809\",\"name\":\"Francis Mannion\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/author\\\/fmannion\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Viewpoint: How Christians Can Deal with the Experience of Suffering - Home","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2016\/07\/29\/viewpoint-how-christians-can-deal-with-the-experience-of-suffering\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Viewpoint: How Christians Can Deal with the Experience of Suffering - Home","og_description":"We are participants in God\u2019s gift by being with the sick person, not primarily by talking or offering explanations of sickness and dying.","og_url":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2016\/07\/29\/viewpoint-how-christians-can-deal-with-the-experience-of-suffering\/","og_site_name":"Home","article_published_time":"2016-07-29T18:56:32+00:00","article_modified_time":"2017-10-22T01:43:33+00:00","og_image":[{"width":411,"height":90,"url":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/pt.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Francis Mannion","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Francis Mannion","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2016\/07\/29\/viewpoint-how-christians-can-deal-with-the-experience-of-suffering\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2016\/07\/29\/viewpoint-how-christians-can-deal-with-the-experience-of-suffering\/"},"author":{"name":"Francis Mannion","@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/#\/schema\/person\/00056ecece512f638325309e2ecba809"},"headline":"Viewpoint: How Christians Can Deal with the Experience of Suffering","datePublished":"2016-07-29T18:56:32+00:00","dateModified":"2017-10-22T01:43:33+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2016\/07\/29\/viewpoint-how-christians-can-deal-with-the-experience-of-suffering\/"},"wordCount":636,"commentCount":6,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Liturgical Spirituality","Viewpoint"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2016\/07\/29\/viewpoint-how-christians-can-deal-with-the-experience-of-suffering\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2016\/07\/29\/viewpoint-how-christians-can-deal-with-the-experience-of-suffering\/","url":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2016\/07\/29\/viewpoint-how-christians-can-deal-with-the-experience-of-suffering\/","name":"Viewpoint: How Christians Can Deal with the Experience of Suffering - Home","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2016-07-29T18:56:32+00:00","dateModified":"2017-10-22T01:43:33+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2016\/07\/29\/viewpoint-how-christians-can-deal-with-the-experience-of-suffering\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2016\/07\/29\/viewpoint-how-christians-can-deal-with-the-experience-of-suffering\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2016\/07\/29\/viewpoint-how-christians-can-deal-with-the-experience-of-suffering\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Viewpoint: How Christians Can Deal with the Experience of Suffering"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/","name":"Home","description":"Worship, Wit & Wisdom","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/#organization","name":"Home","url":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/cropped-BlogHeaderFinal2.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/cropped-BlogHeaderFinal2.jpg","width":1340,"height":209,"caption":"Home"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/#\/schema\/person\/00056ecece512f638325309e2ecba809","name":"Francis Mannion","url":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/author\/fmannion\/"}]}},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33548","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/78"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33548"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33548\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33549,"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33548\/revisions\/33549"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33548"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33548"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33548"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}