The value of suffering

Readings for Friday of the Seventh Weeek of Easter

In today’s Gospel Jesus gives Peter the opportunity to make up for his three-fold denial that took place shortly before Our Lord’s crucifixion. Jesus allows Peter a second chance to say, “I love you.” Jesus also gives Peter a second chance to follow Him, a second chance to take up His cross, a second chance to suffer.

As Catholics we believe in the redemptive value of suffering. We believe that suffering need not be pointless or meaningless. Instead, we work to unite our suffering with the suffering of our Lord. We seek to mount our own cross and offer our sufferings to the Father in reparation for our own sins and for the sins of the whole world. We, like St. Paul, say, “I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church…”

Peter was given a second chance to suffer and we too are offered many opportunities to suffer. In fact, the opportunities to suffer are practically endless here in this valley of tears, in this pilgrimage through our own Garden of Gethsemane. The key to imitating Christ in this Garden is to constantly repeat His words, “not my will, but yours be done.” Christ was fearful and we are fearful. Christ did not yearn for suffering nor do we. Christ did not rejoice in what was to happen but accepted it as His Father’s Will. And so, we too must make His prayer ours, “thy will be done.”

If we accept the suffering God offers to us patiently and with complete trust in His goodness we can trust in His reward as well. At the end of the Gospel reading Jesus says to Peter and to you and me, “follow me.” “Follow me through the suffering, follow me to the cross, follow me to the grave, follow me to the resurrection, follow me into eternity.” This is the path, this is the way. There is no other. Do you love Him? Follow Him.