TWENTY FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - YEAR C

Those whom the Lord loves, he disciplines.

Brothers and sisters, you have forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as children: “My son, do not disdain the discipline of the Lord or lose heart when reproved by him; for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines; he scourges every son he acknowledges.” Endure your trials as “discipline”; God treats you as sons. For what “son” is there whom his father does not discipline? At the time, all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it.

So strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees. Make straight paths for your feet, that what is lame may not be disjointed but healed.

SUFFERING

--Rev. Linh N. Nguyen

Suffering is a never-ending and soul-destroying question in human life. Both Christians and non-Christians often ask why we suffer on this earth. In all probability, there are joy, peace, and healing in the Christian life. At the same time, it holds true that God’s children suffer – no escape from it. There is no easy answer to the enigma of why we, children of God, suffer. We believe that God can guard his children against suffering. It causes us to wonder why he doesn’t do that for us. Why has God not kept his children from suffering?

Scripture presents not only the fact that God’s children do suffer, but also the supportive reasons for that. Theologians and preachers can come up with many biblical-based reasons in an attempt to untie the mysterious problem of suffering. We may bring suffering upon ourselves. Dissipation and lack of discipline bring unhappy consequences. Long-term abuse of our bodies may bring on sickness. Wrong choices come back to haunt us. And so, the first reason we suffer is our own stupidity, our own willfulness, our own selfishness, and our willful ignorance.

Sometimes, we suffer for taking a stand for truth and righteousness. Next, we suffer for sin in our lives. It holds true that we sometimes suffer for our past life of sin. If you have read the story of Job in the Old Testament, you can realize that at times, we suffer for a high purpose of God. Last but not least, many Christians in the world, from generation to generation, suffer for their faith.

Among those common reasons above, this Sunday’s second reading from the letter of Hebrews presents another acceptable reason why God’s children suffer. “For whom the Lord loves, he disciplines; he scourges every son he acknowledges” (Hebrews 12:6). According to this, because God loves his own children, he then disciplines us. However, we believe that God is not rigorous in that he takes delight in disciplining us; rather he does it for our benefit. There are certain lessons God gets through to us by suffering.

Any good parent would punish a child who misbehaves. We call this discipline. It holds true that undisciplined children grow up to face confusion and hardship. Why? It is because their parents have not properly prepared them, through discipline, for the realities of the world.

In the same way, God must discipline us because he loves us, even if that means hardship and suffering at times. Affliction and adversity are drawing our attention to the poor choices we have made. Like the parents disciplining their misbehaving child, in wisdom, we understand that God has disciplined us because he loves us. God himself tells us, “My son, do not disdain the discipline of the Lord or lose heart when reproved by him; for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines; he scourges every son he acknowledges” (Hebrews 12:5, 6).

Whatever the reason for our suffering, we find that it offers us an opportunity to draw closer to God. Some individuals who are disciplined become bitter, while others become better. It is always a matter of attitude and free will.

Let me recall the story of Job in brief. He suffered more pain and anguish than we can possibly comprehend. He lost all his livestock, all his children, and even his health. His wife sat beside him in his suffering and bitterly suggested, “Curse God and die!” His close friends told him he must be a very bad person to merit so much of God’s judgment. Yet through his suffering, Job gained an incredible intimacy with God, who became very real and present to him. In the end, Job could say, “Slay me though he might, I will wait for him” (Job 13:15), and “I had heard of you by word of mouth, but now my eye has seen you” (Job 42:5).

Though it may be difficult to believe at times, suffering glorifies God and points the way to future glory as well. Beside this, in this Sunday’s second reading, the author of Hebrews points out another two benefits through the discipline of the Lord. First is patient. “Endure your trials as “discipline”; God treats you as sons. For what “son” is there whom his father does not discipline?” (Hebrews 12:7). Patience means to be able to endure suffering. Therefore, God disciplines us in order that he may teach us how to endure trials, sickness, and suffering. Furthermore, patience is one of the fruits of the Spirit. And sometimes, it comes to us through suffering.   

Second, God wants us to be productive Christians through suffering. Hebrews 12:12-13 states, “So strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees. Make straight paths for your feet, that what is lame may not be dislocated but healed.” In other words, God wants us to grow up. He wants to get us out of the baby stage. He wants to get us out of the spiritual nursery and get us going. He wants to make us mature Christians of conviction and courage, stamina and strength.

Here is a demonstrative story for the concept above: When a mother eagle builds her nest, she begins with unlikely materials: rocks, thorns, and bits of broken branches. Before she lays her eggs, she blankets the nest with feathers and fur from animals she has killed. This soft, downy nest makes a perfect home for her eggs.

Her growing young are so comfortable that when they are old enough to fly, they are reluctant to leave. That is when the mother eagle begins to “stir up the nest.” She uses her iron talons to rip up the lining of feathers and fur, revealing the broken branches and sharp rocks underneath. The nest becomes uncomfortable for her young, prompting them to fly away and pursue the life of mature eagles.

Sometimes God may “stir up the nest” to encourage us to step out of our comfort zone and to help us mature in new areas. Hardships make us grow in our understanding of ourselves, others, and God. It is true that adversity pushes us to grow and prepares us to minister to others.

What is our reaction to the discipline of the Lord? How do we respond to it?

Some people can despise it. But how do they despise it? Perhaps, they can despise it by ignoring it, that is, by not relating it to the fact that God is trying to get a message through to them, trying to tell them something. Others can react to God’s discipline like a cry-baby. They can say, “Why did God let this happen to me?” “What did I do wrong?” Have you ever heard a Christian say that? Some are holier-than-thou and very passive about suffering. They says, “Well, this is my cross and I’ll bear it,” while conflict and bitterness constantly grumble in their hearts.

God does not want us to have those attitudes above towards his discipline. Hebrew 12:11 states, “At the time, all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it.”

A young child accidentally took sleeping pills from the family’s medicine cabinet. The doctor instructed the parents to keep the child awake by any means necessary for the next four hours – including the pain of slapping if necessary. That pain was necessary for the child’s survival.

So, too, in the Christian’s journey: No suffering at the time seems to be pleasant. Of course, it is not joyous, but it’s just for a brief moment. Later on, however, it produces “the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it.”

And so, the author of Hebrews advises us with judgment how to react to suffering. That is, we are told to endure discipline. “Endure your trials as “discipline”; God treats you as sons. For what “son” is there whom his father does not discipline? The thing that is important here is that we are to endure discipline.

An unbeliever once read the story of the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ. As he pondered it, he gave vent to the following expression: “There is a Man who not only suffered, but who knew how to use his suffering.” This is the aim of patience. Saint James says, “Let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:4). James wants us to acknowledge that endurance should be active, not passive. There should be no passive endurance in the Christian life. In spite of the burdens of life we are carrying, we should move forward to the goal that is set before us.  

In sum, the mature Christian knows that there is no meaningless suffering. All suffering can become meaningful. Suffering teaches us lessons from our past experience. It is a sign that we are God’s faithful children. It purifies us in holiness. Equally important, we suffer because of our identity as disciples of Jesus Christ, who calls us to take up our cross and follow him. If we participate in the sufferings of Jesus Christ, we will share in his glory in the future. “No pain, no gain.” “No cross, no glory.” Suffering is a path to glory. The Evangelist Saint Mark teaches that if we do not drink the cup that Jesus drinks and share in his baptism of suffering, then we cannot share in his exaltation.