The Mystery of Suffering

By an Anonymous Coptic Orthodox Christian

When we contemplate our relationship with God or Christianity in general, we often tend to focus on the blessings we receive when we believe in and follow our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We think about the peace, love, joy, heavenly glory, and all the other truths of faith that bring us comfort and pleasure as a result of our faith.

What we rarely consider however, is that Christianity, following Jesus, is a calling to suffering. This is not merely my opinion. A careful examination of Scripture makes it abundantly clear that the Christian vocation involves a call to suffering.

Let’s examine what our Lord Jesus said about the Christian vocation as a call to suffering:

• “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33
•  “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” – Matthew 16:24-25
• “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” – Matthew 7:13-14
• “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.” – Luke 14:26

Summarizing our Lord’s teachings on suffering, we find that:

• We will experience tribulation (“state of great trouble or suffering” – Oxford dictionary).
• We must deny ourselves and carry our cross.
• We must be willing to lose our life and hate our life.
• We must enter the narrow and difficult gate.

However, it’s not only our Lord who indicates that the Christian vocation involves suffering. Other New Testament writers also make this abundantly clear:

• “All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” – 2 Timothy 3:12
• “To you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.” – Philippians 1:29
• “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.” – Acts 14:22 (St Paul)
• “To this you were called [to suffering], because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps.” – 1 Peter 2:21
• “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you.” – 1 Peter 4:12

Given the evidence presented above, it becomes evident that the Christian vocation is indeed a call to a life of suffering. If we were to conclude the article here, it might seem somewhat disheartening. Fortunately, there is much more to explore on this topic.

If the Christian vocation entails suffering, it’s crucial to delve into the cause of suffering in the world. To do this, we must go back to the beginning:

“But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” – Genesis 2:17

In this passage, we see that the consequence of eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was death. Tradition teaches us that this death did occur as soon as they ate, but it was a spiritual death, not a physical one. With spiritual death came the slow decay of the human condition, eventually leading to physical death. This slow decay of the human condition manifests itself as the variety of sicknesses that slowly contribute to the death of the body. This of course involves suffering. Let’s examine another passage from Genesis:

“To the woman He said: “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.” Then to Adam He said to Adam… “Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. 19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.” – Genesis 3:16-19

Here, we see that sin resulted in multiplied sorrow for women, distinct from the pain in conception and childbearing, “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception”. For men, life became toil and labour, a struggle to provide for their families. Where there was once an abundance of fruit without the need to labour, now the ground was “cursed”, bringing forth “thorns and thistles.” While the means of providing for our families may have changed (we’re not farmers), the curse still applies. Life for men in this world, providing for their families, remains a cross and a struggle throughout their earthly sojourn.

In summary, the consequences of the original sin of our forefathers can be summarized as follows:

• Through sin, our relationship with God changed, it was corrupted. We experienced a sort of separation from God, a distortion in the relationship, a separation from love, joy, peace, and all good things.
• Humanity experienced spiritual death, resulting in the gradual decay of the human condition, which involves suffering, leading to physical death.
• Sin and separation from God also led to the separation of humanity from each other, giving rise to anger, hatred, division, war, love of pleasure, self-satisfaction, covetousness, and greed, all products of our separation from God and, consequently, each other.
• Sin and separation from God made humanity slaves to their own desires, seeking pleasure at any cost, even at the expense of their neighbour.

Fortunately, God, in His infinite wisdom, allowed suffering as a consequence of sin. Suffering is thus a remedy to redirect us back to His embrace or, at the very least, to turn our attention away from the ways of the world, limiting the amount of sin we commit. Fr. Seraphim Rose eloquently explains this concept:

“Why do men learn through pain and suffering, and not through pleasure and happiness? Very simply, because pleasure and happiness accustom one to satisfaction with the things given in this world, whereas pain and suffering drive one to seek a more profound happiness beyond the limitations of this world.” – Fr Seraphim Rose: His Life and Works

Suffering, when viewed correctly, becomes a powerful tool for redirecting our focus away from the ways of this world and toward knowing and loving God, ultimately leading to our healing and resurrection from sin and brokenness.

Let’s break this down further:

• We are all born into a broken and fallen world. If we look around at the world, this is plainly evident. War, greed, crime, mental illness, poverty, etc., are all the signature of the fallen world in which we live.
• We are born with a mortal nature, separated from God, gradually inching toward our physical death.
• Our corrupted nature inclines us toward sin, making it easier to sin than to practice virtue. Every human being enters this world fallen and inclined toward sin, except for Jesus, the only exception. The Theotokos also would have struggled with some thoughts that were from the fallen nature (doubt, fear, confusion) and thus also needed redemption through her Son and Saviour.
• We all suffer the consequences of sin, either personally or intergenerationally. Intergenerational consequences of sin, while not carrying guilt, impacts individuals through a history of family brokenness, or historical trauma. As an example, think of a child born into a broken home, where violence and fear are the norm. This will perhaps impact their mental health, thus leading to suffering throughout their lives. Other forms of historical trauma are war, and poverty. This is what we term intergenerational consequences of sin. Personal or intergenerational consequences of sin manifests themselves in the human condition in the following ways:
  • Anxiety, depression, loneliness, confusion, fear, doubt, etc.
  • Sickness, disease, ageing, death, etc.
  • Broken relationships, abuse, crime, etc.
  • Emptiness, dissatisfaction, discontentment, etc.
  • Spiritual warfare.

All these personal or intergenerational consequences of sin profoundly affect us, causing various levels of anguish, pain, and suffering. When faced with suffering, we are presented with two choices:

1. Attempt to escape suffering by indulging in worldly pleasures, mistakenly believing it will alleviate suffering and bring peace.
2. Embrace suffering as an integral part of the human journey, using it as a means to deepen our union with the Lord, moving toward Christlikeness.

If you’ve reached this point in the article, you likely resonate with the second option. So, how can we effectively accept suffering and allow it to transform us into the people God has called us to be? Before we address this crucial question, we must understand how suffering contributes to our healing from sin and the pursuit of Christlikeness. St. Symeon the New Theologian gives us a glimpse into this concept:

“Just as gold tarnished in depth (cf. Jms. 5:3) cannot be properly purified and restored to its proper brightness unless it is cast in the fire and thoroughly hammered with mallets, so when the soul has been tarnished with the rust of sin and become thoroughly useless it cannot be cleansed and recover its original beauty unless it meets many trials and enter into the furnace of tribulations.” – St. Symeon the New Theologian (Discourses; Paulist Press pg. 157).

Let’s consider how suffering facilitates our cleansing and the subsequent return to our original beauty:

• Suffering places us in a furnace of trial, redirecting our focus away from worldly comforts and toward God. This teaches us the need for patience in suffering, thus cultivating long-suffering. This in turn heals us of the passion of impatience, deepening our faith and trust in God.
• Suffering can cause us to lose our appetite for sumptuous food, effectively helping us overcome the passion of gluttony.
• Suffering redirects our desires away from material possessions and toward inner reflection, helping us overcome the passion of covetousness.
• Suffering, by turning our attention inward, diminishes our inclination to judge others, aiding in the healing of the passion of pride and helping us grow in humility.

In essence, suffering strips us of our sinful inclinations and directs our focus toward virtue. Although we may not initially desire holiness, suffering has a transformative effect that leads us toward holiness. Scripture also testifies to this truth:

• “Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” – Hebrews 12:11
• “That the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honour, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ” – 1 Peter 1:7

St. Isaac the Syrian beautifully explains the inevitability of suffering and its transformative impact on those who patiently endure it:

“For it is not possible, when we are on the way of righteousness, not to encounter gloom, and for the body not to travail in sickness and pains, and to remain unaltered, if indeed our love is to live in virtue… Now if, while a man is walking in the path of righteousness… he encounters in this path some affliction of this sort, he must not turn aside from his way. Rather, he should accept whatever it is joyously, without scrutiny, and give thanks to God, because God has sent him this gift.., because he has been deemed worthy to fall into temptation for His sake, and to become a partaker of the sufferings of the prophets and the apostles, and of the rest of the saints who endured tribulations for the sake of God’s path, whether from men, from demons, or from the body. For without the bidding of God it is impossible that tribulations should be permitted to arise; but they occur so as to be for a man the cause of righteousness.” – Ascetical Homilies of St Isaac the Syrian, Page 429

If everything stated thus far is true – that suffering, when viewed correctly, leads to sanctification – then this truth should fill us with great joy. The Apostles repeatedly teach us to rejoice in suffering in their writings:

• St Peter says: “but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.” – 1 Peter 4:13
• St James says: “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” – James 1:2-4
• St Pauls says: “Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer” – Romans 12:12
• St Pauls says: “And we know that all things [not some things, all things, including suffering] work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” – Romans 8:28
• St Pauls says: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” – Romans 8:18

Understanding the benefits of suffering and that it leads us to Christlikeness is essential. However, practical strategies are also crucial for navigating the trials of life effectively. Here are some lessons I’ve learned over the years:

1. Develop a strong conviction that suffering brings immense benefits, namely Christlikeness and eternal life in God’s heavenly kingdom. As St. Seraphim of Sarov once said:

“Oh, if you only knew,” he once said to a monk, “what joy, what sweetness awaits a righteous soul in Heaven! You would decide in this mortal life to bear any sorrows, persecutions and slander with gratitude. If this very cell of ours was filled with worms, and these worms were to eat our flesh for our entire life on earth, we should agree to it with total desire, in order not to lose, by any chance, that heavenly joy which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

2. Recognize that we cannot run away from suffering without running away from Christ. All who desire to follow Christ must pick up their cross and follow Him. Embracing Christ is essential, as being without our Lord constitutes the greatest suffering.
3. Be thankful for the gift of suffering, which cleanses and purifies us, leading to a deeper union with God in His love. Thankfulness combats feelings of despondence and impatience.
4. Rejoice in suffering, as it is a path that leads to a wonderful union with the Lord. As St. Bishoy Kamel said, “Christians must be cross-bearers, but they must be joyful cross-bearers.”
5. Practice patience, knowing that most storms in life pass, allowing the sun to shine again. God knows how much suffering we can bear and provides us with breaks between the storms. Even if some souls experience constant suffering, remember that “if God sends you many sufferings, it is a sign that He has great plans for you and certainly wants to make you a saint.” – St. Ignatius Loyola
6. Maintain your normal spiritual routine or canon. During times of suffering, it may be tempting to stop praying, fasting, or serving. Instead, modify your practice to what you can manage. For example, if you find yourself utterly overwhelmed by a trial of suffering and unable to stand while saying your prayers, don’t worry – God understands, say them while sitting down; if you can’t manage that either, don’t despair – God still understands, lie down and pray; that’s too hard? Don’t worry – God love you, simply rest in His love. The goal is to stay connected to God and express your love for Him, even during the storm.
7. Offer your suffering to the Lord as a sacrifice of thanksgiving, recognizing that you are co-suffering with Christ. As St. Paul wrote, “I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church.” –  Colossians 1:24. What a beautiful blessing to be able to co-suffer with our Lord.
8. Avoid dwelling excessively on your suffering, as doing so can lead to despondency. Instead, remind yourself that suffering, when viewed correctly, is a gift and extremely beneficial. As St. Padre Pio wrote:

“I know, my dear son, that you are suffering, but resign yourself because, when suffering is endured in a Christian spirit, it will sanctify you. Suffer, but also rejoice, because your suffering will one day be transformed into joy for you. Suffer, but never be afraid, because with the prophet [He says], ‘I am with you in tribulation. Suffer, but believe that Jesus himself suffers in you and through you and with you, that Jesus has not abandoned you and will not abandon you. Moreover, to the same seminarian he wrote: “What do you make of the holy cruelty of Jesus towards you? That he loves you. Yes, my dearest, and you will understand in paradise! Have no fear, then, and let him do with you as he sees fit.” – St Padre Pio, Padre Pio: The True story

In conclusion, I hope and pray this article has demonstrated the profound benefits of reframing our understanding of suffering. May it encourage us to avoid wasting the sufferings of this life by seeking solace in the worldly pleasures and instead use them as a means to draw closer to our dear Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. May it inspire us to rejoice in the darkest moments, knowing that through them, we will enter into the brilliance of God’s all-glorious love. To conclude, I’ll leave you with the words of a great sufferer of our times, St. Faustina: “suffering is a great grace; through suffering the soul becomes like the Saviour; in suffering love becomes crystallised; the greater the suffering, the purer the love.”