Suffering: Sign of God’s Presence
Anyone who finds himself in tribulations … must console himself, as tribulation is a sure sign that God is with him. (OCL, III, 545, p. 22)
The presence of suffering in the life of a person, for St. Vincent Pallotti, is a sure sign of the presence of God in his life. Hence, he advised his followers that when suffering comes into their life, they should neither be discouraged nor run away from it, but they must console themselves, because in and through the tribulations they experience, God makes his presence real in their lives. St. Paul, convinced of this truth, stated that while the cross is a folly to the gentiles and a scandal to the Jews, it is a means to experience the power and glory of God to those who believe. Thus, he reiterates the cross as the means through which a person can experience the powerful presence of God. A person may not understand this truth rationally, but he needs a strong faith to recognize and accept this truth. This is clearly manifested in the life of Jesus. Accomplishing the will of his Father implied that Jesus had to accept suffering and death on the cross. It was a difficult task for Jesus, as a human person, to handle. Jesus struggled to accept the will of the Father during his agony in the garden. Finally with the help of prayers he offered, he was strengthened in faith and he accepted death on the cross freely and willingly. From the moment Jesus took the decision to carry out the will of the Father until the moment he accomplished it by his dying on the cross, Jesus experienced the presence of his Father. Despite a few desperate moments, Jesus knew that he could die having entrusted his spirit to the Father. For St. Vincent, a Christian needs to accept suffering like Christ.
Do I acknowledge the suffering as a means to experience the presence of God? Is the cross a means to experience the power and glory of God? Do I have a strong faith to see the presence of God in the sufferings of my daily life? Do I cope with my sufferings of life with a Christ-like attitude?
He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, will he not also give us all things with him? (Rom. 8: 32)