Homily 512 | 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time | Year B
In our first reading from the prophet Isaiah, we hear the words, “The Lord was pleased to crush him in infirmity.” Those are hard words. Who is Isaiah talking about, and would God ever be pleased to crush someone? To the first question, Isaiah is speaking somewhat poetically about Israel, his chosen people. But he is also pointing forward to Jesus. In both cases, someone who is “beloved” by God is allowed to suffer greatly. And that leads to answering the second question. By saying the Lord was “pleased,” Isaiah is really saying that God allowed or permitted the suffering.
Now, even with that qualification, we’re still left wondering why God would allow people he loves to suffer. There is no easy answer to this question, but it is of great importance for our life of faith that we not just gloss over it. So many times, we are led to believe that if we love God, and God loves us, then things should go well for us. The “prosperity gospel,” as it is sometimes called, basically leads us to believe that the Christian life is one joy after another and, if there is suffering, something went wrong. This is a lie that must be rejected.
Rather than seeing suffering as “something that went wrong,” we as Christians are meant to see suffering as a normal part of life. Now, don’t think that you have to like suffering. That would be a kind of mental illness. Rather, we can see suffering as inevitable and, most importantly, something that God can use for good. The great truth to remember when suffering is that God only allows suffering to bring about a greater good.
I know those last words are true, but they’re not easy. Sometimes it feels like the “good” that God promises to bring out of suffering is far away at best. But Jesus does not ask anything that he was unwilling to do. He allowed himself to suffer and even be killed because of the greater good he saw for all of us. We will probably not be asked to suffer to the point of death today, but there may be plenty of suffering, even serious suffering. This is a chance to really practice faith. We shouldn’t like suffering. But, we shouldn’t be surprised by it. If we understand the good that can only come through suffering, then we may even be able to be thankful.
In today’s Gospel, the apostles want glory and power in heaven. Wanting heaven is good. But Jesus is quick to point out that glory in heaven is only obtained through suffering and dying to our own selfish interests. God wants us to be with him forever. Jesus died so that we could have that chance. The only thing that stands in our way is our own selfishness and lack of love. To purge us of this obstacle, God does in fact permit suffering. When we see it that way, we might even be able to thank God for the sufferings he allows as he brings us to glory.