We are called to accept suffering as a vocation
Published November 3, 2006
My Brothers and Sisters in the Lord:
I continue to reflect on the theme of developing a "culture of vocation" within the Archdiocese. This month of November, as we celebrate the Communion of Saints, and as the Church year draws to its conclusion, I thought it appropriate to reflect on the fact that all who are suffering in body or spirit truly have a vocation, a special and unique calling from the Lord, something which builds up the Church. The Communion of Saints is all the richer because of the way each of us accept our share of the suffering of Christ's cross. As St. Paul put it very simply but eloquently in Colossians 1:24, "I fill up in my own body what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ."
There are many kinds of suffering in the world today. In fact, in one way or another, each of us experience some form of suffering of body or spirit.
Through our suffering, we are sometimes drawn closer to one another; at some moments, we reach out in empathy and support toward the one suffering, and other times, we ourselves are the person receiving the ministerial attention and care of our brothers and sisters. Some people even have the special vocation of full-time ministry with and for people who experience suffering — doctors and nurses, therapists and counselors, chaplains, Stephen's ministers, and pastoral care providers. This month, therefore, as we reflect on the mystery of human suffering, it is also appropriate to rejoice in the healing ministry of the Church.
The mystery of human suffering
Suffering takes many forms. Naturally, most of us immediately think of physical suffering, or the pain of illness. And of course, suffering is also very frequently psychological, spiritual or emotional. Besides personal suffering of body or spirit, collective suffering also happens due to natural disasters or catastrophes, war or social upheaval. No matter what the circumstances, naturally and inevitably, the question "Why?" arises within our hearts.
This question is particularly compelling when the one who suffers has done nothing to cause the problem.
As Christians, we have reason for hope and confidence even in the midst of the mystery of our suffering. Even though we do not have ready answers, we find a certain consolation and encouragement as we look to Christ and His sufferings on the cross, and indeed, throughout His earthly ministry. In 1984, our late Holy Father, Pope John Paul II — himself no stranger to suffering in body or spirit — wrote a beautiful apostolic letter on the Christian Meaning of Human Suffering. In that letter he noted that as the human person questions God about the mystery of suffering, "He cannot help noticing that the One to whom he puts the question is Himself suffering and wishes to answer him from the cross, from the heart of His own suffering."
Pope John Paul goes on to explain that for most of us, Christ does not answer immediately or directly but only gradually. In the silence of our hearts, we begin to understand that through our suffering we are being called to share in a new and intimate way in the story of Jesus Christ. I quote the Pope's own words: "The answer which comes through this suffering by way of the interior encounter with the master is in itself something more than the mere abstract answer to the question about the meaning of suffering. For it is above all a call. It is a vocation. … He says 'follow me!' Come! Take part through your suffering in the work of saving the world, a salvation achieved through my suffering! Through my cross."
For those who believe, whatever experience we have of pain or loss, disappointment or stress, it is not just something to be endured with hope for eventual release from our burdens. Rather, as people of faith, we are invited to see the suffering and pain which come our way as an opportunity, a privileged means of sharing to a new degree in the mystery of Christ's own life. Acceptance of suffering as a vocation is really a matter of sharing Christ's obedience to the will of the Father. It is our way of making the words of the Lord's Prayer a very real part of our own life experience: "Thy will be done."
There is a true vocation in the experience of suffering inasmuch as suffering reminds us of our vulnerability and dependence—on God and others.
Encountering the suffering of another evokes from us a response of empathy and sympathy, compassion and a desire to help. In a very powerful way, sickness often draws people closer together. And yet, it is also true that in times of illness or physical or psychological stress, people can feel isolated and need the assurance of some sense that they are not abandoned or forgotten; they desire to be connected to their family or to the community of their parish. With these realities in mind, therefore, as we reflect on the vocation of suffering, we should also consider the special sacrament the Church provides for those who are undergoing suffering of body—the Sacrament of the Sick. (As you may recall, in previous months I have offered some catechesis and pastoral reflection on the other six sacraments within the perspective of creating a "culture of vocation.")
The Sacrament of the Sick
An important part of the ministry of Jesus during His earthly life was a compassionate and loving availability and outreach to people suffering from all kinds of illnesses and diseases of body and spirit. From her earliest days, the Church continued that healing ministry of the Lord as we see attested in the Letter of St. James: "Is there anyone sick among you? Let him send for the presbyters of the Church and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick man and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed any sins, they will be forgiven" (James 5:14-15).
At the time of the Second Vatican Council, it was recognized that this sacrament should not be reserved only for those at the point of death but should truly and properly be called the Sacrament of the Sick. The Council Fathers referred to this sacrament as a special blessing building up the whole Church as well as a source for healing the person in pain. I quote from the "Dogmatic Constitution on the Church" article 11: "By the sacred anointing of the sick and the prayer of its presbyters, the whole Church commends the sick to the suffering and glorified Lord so that He may raise them up and save them. The Church exhorts them, moreover, to contribute to the welfare of the whole people of God by associating themselves willingly with the Passion and Death of Christ."
As many of you may recall, prior to Vatican II this sacrament — then known as Extreme Unction — involved anointing each of the five senses. After Vatican II the rite was simplified and the anointing with sacred oil is done on the forehead and the hands. The formula for the anointing is as follows:
Through this holy anointing, may the Lord and His love and mercy help you with the grace of the Holy Spirit. May the Lord who frees you from sin save you and raise you up.
An important part of the sacrament also involves the laying on of hands. As I have mentioned in columns earlier on the sacraments of Holy Orders, Confirmation, and Penance, the laying on of hands has always been a special sign of evoking the power of the Holy Spirit.
Who should be anointed and who does the anointing? When the rite was revised after Vatican II, the instruction for the new ritual emphasized that anyone whose health is seriously impaired by sickness or old age should be encouraged to receive the sacrament. The sacrament can also be repeated any number of times for serious need. Many parishes have the commendable custom of holding communal anointings of the sick on a regular basis during one of the weekend liturgies. As far as possible, it is always wise and prudent to seek anointing ahead of time rather than wait to the moment of dying. Even in terminal cases, it is still the Sacrament of the Sick and brings healing and strength for those preparing to meet the Lord.
Since sacraments are for the living, if a person has already died, the priest does not administer the sacrament, but rather, prays for the deceased and their family, asking that God forgive his or her sins and graciously receive that person into the Heavenly Kingdom. Since the anointing has always been connected with forgiveness of sins, the priest is the only proper minister of the anointing of the sick.
As St. Paul reminds us a number of times in his epistles, whenever any one member of the Body of Christ suffers, the whole body shares that pain. In the Sacrament of the Sick, there is a wonderful solidarity between those who receive the sacrament and the rest of the Christian community. That is why it is beautiful and appropriate to celebrate this sacrament with other members of the family present or even at a parish liturgy. Such communal celebrations are an excellent reminder that all baptized Christians share in the ministry of caring for the sick. Every one of us have something to give and something to receive.
It is also appropriate that we remember the sick at our Sunday worship in the Prayer of the Faithful. Priests, deacons and religious and those who pray the Liturgy of the Hours also remember the sick at both morning and evening prayer. Many of us have opportunities to make visits to the sick or bring communion to the homebound. These, too, are powerful ways of showing our loving support and solidarity with our brothers and sisters.
The rite speaks about this sense of common support and mutuality in the anointing of the sick: "The sacrament of anointing effectively expresses the share that each one has in the sufferings of the others. When the priest anoints the sick, he is anointing in the name and with the power of Christ Himself. On behalf of the whole community, he is ministering to those members who are suffering. His message of hope and comfort is also needed by those who care for the sick, especially those who are closely bound in love to them."
In the case of those who are dying, it always is appropriate to offer Holy Communion or properly called "Viaticum," which is literally "food for the journey" into life eternal.
Giving and receiving: Christ's presence in suffering
As we reflect on the mystery of human suffering and sickness, it is clear that the Lord is very near to those who have special need of Him. One of the ways the Lord expresses His tender compassion is through the presence of the Church's ministers and other loved ones, as well as those who give their lives to the health care professions. In the name of the Church, I thank and encourage all of you who are generous in your loving and attentive service of people suffering in body or spirit. I trust that as you give, you also receive and are open to being touched by the goodness and noble suffering of people who are slowly moving from this world to the next. The Communion of Saints is experienced in a very real and powerful way in these sacred encounters that happen in hospitals and nursing homes, in therapy sessions, and in the privacy of one's family home. Every one of us needs to be all the more attentive to the privilege we have of being with the sick and sharing their suffering — often simply by sitting with them in silent prayer.
Those who are going through a period of intense suffering may not be able to consciously understand or appreciate the nearness of the Lord; their pain can often be overwhelming. But hopefully, even in the midst of their isolation, disorientation or confusion, all those who are suffering can have some glimpse of the Lord who understands their pain and wants to share it. Our human limitations of body and spirit truly represent a mysterious but powerful vocation, a call to ever-greater trust and dependence, vulnerability and openness. Through the experience of suffering and loss—whether it be in body or spirit—we are all the more drawn into the Communion of Saints and understand the embrace of Christ, the Divine Physician.
Sincerely in the Lord,
†Adam Cardinal Maida
November Prayer Theme
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