My friend Betsy Perryman gave a phenomenal talk to our Life Teen group this past Sunday on the topic of suffering. Among several important points she focused on was this: It’s often in suffering that we are drawn closer to God, because it’s in suffering that we finally realize how much we need him.
In contemplating the devastation in Japan, and indeed all of the devastating natural disasters of the past six years and the ever-present suffering of our world, I find this quote inspiring.
“The tragedy of this world is not so much the pain in it; the tragedy is that so much of it is wasted. It is only when a log is thrown into the fire that it begins to sing. It is only when the thief was thrown into the fire of a cross that he began to find God. It is only in pain that some begin to discover where love is.”
~ Archbishop Fulton Sheen, Seven Words of Jesus and Mary
As well as this one:
All things work together for the good of those that love the Lord and are called according to his purpose. ~Romans 8:28
Considering that each one of us is called to His purpose, and each one of us is loved by God and called to love Him, this quote is also one to return to again and again in times of suffering.
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