Hi Joynetters, If Christ who is goodness itself suffered on the cross.. Why not we...? It is an old Jewish belief which in Biblical study circles is called the "Deuteronomic Equation". In the olden times Jews did not believe in the resurrection.. even in jesus's time we had the sadducees(who didnt believe in angels, ressurection etc.) and the Pharisees (who belived in all of these). So they said that "If u do Good,god will be Good to u.." "If u r wicked or dont follow the law u will be punished by god." Something like the "Karma" in india. So if a person was suffering people would say that u have offended god hence u r suffering. The Book of Job challenges that thinking, by showing Job a righteous man suffering.. u will notice everybody saying to him the same thing..u have sinned so u r suffering.. Even as we read the other Wisdom books like Ecclesiastes,sirach, wisdom etc we will see the same theme that it is not neccessary for u to be bad to suffer. Suffering has salvific value...you can evangelise more effectively by the way u handle crisis in your life ,than by talking and preaching. to smile when everything is okay is easy...(still some people dont even do that...) but to smile and laugh when in trouble is difficult(something like a lotus flower growing in dirty muddy water) People are more interested and awestruck by a lotus like that rather than a rose from a plant nursery.. Love and Prayers ravi Bensi Chacko <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Dear Friends,
All people experience suffering, both good and bad. God plays no favorites. But why do good people suffer? Why does God inflict the same kind of suffering on both his friends and enemies? Even the great St. Teresa of Avila jokingly told God: "No wonder you don�t have too many friends! This is how you treat them!" Anyone who suffers because of his own folly rightly deserves his lot, as many people are prone to think. Take the case of a husband who has had one too many promiscuous affairs. When by chance he contracts AIDS because of his philandering, friends and relatives would somehow be justified by saying: "He deserves it!" On the other hand, what if the husband is good, a devoted spouse and a responsible father to his wife and children and he suddenly dies form cancer? Such tragedy would certainly draw out a pained "WHY?" form everyone. The Old Testament Fathers offer several answers as to why the good suffer. One explanation says that the good suffer to make them even better. "God chastises those whom He loves" as Scripture says (Prov 3:12). Others say that being good is relative; that people are considered good by the standard of the bad. In the eyes of God, however, we are all sinners and, therefore, must suffer the same lot. Another answer is that man is said to be only ontologically good, but morally he is not, therefore, he is not exempt from suffering. The good also suffer to help pay for the sins of others. Many of these souls are chosen by God to live a life of reparation. Through suffering, God reveals to them the urgency of reparation and the need for their victimhood. These victim souls, as we call them, suffer and endure a wide range of maladies and misfortunes out of great love for the Redeemer, offering as it were, their pains and sacrifices willingly, joyfully, and generously for the sake of others. This is why we have saints like John of the Cross, Alphonsus Liguori, John Bosco, Teresa of Avila, Francis of Assisi, and a host of other saints who bravely faced all kinds odds, even death, because of their overwhelming love for God. Victimhood then is the willingness to accept pains and suffering in expiation for the sins of the beloved. The suffering could be form an illness, and accident, a death, poverty, hunger, calumny, failure, etc. Candidates to victimhood can be anyone God chooses. The only prerequisite to be an authentic victim soul is to openly accept with good disposition ones pains and sufferings for God. A victim soul forgets himself completely for the sake of the beloved and thinks only of how he can offer all his sufferings for him. The victim soul�s imitation of Christ, therefore, includes the imitation of His suffering. The Cross is reproduced again and again in the lives of those who follow Him as victims of love. Many of these victim souls would take upon themselves the Cross of mockery out of great love for the Master. To the disciples of all ages, Jesus� extreme death on the Cross is a model of sacrificial suffering. Through His wish to provide and example of accepting and undergoing a death of utmost pain, Christ taught the doctrine of the sacred value of suffering. "In the lives of victim souls, the Cross has an important place. The Cross of discipleship may call for readiness to undergo a hard and shameful death, but then, to suffer for God is no shame at all! Thus, fellowship with the Lord may make high demands, even to the point of carrying the Cross unto death for the sake of the beloved. To fail in courage before such a challenge is to be unworthy of the Master. On the other hand, worthiness of the Kingdom is a gift to those who bear will, for the Lord, the suffering which has been laid upon them"(Fr. Edgardo). Bensilal Chacko, DE, USA. _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp. **************************************************************** This mail is generated from JOYnet, a Jesus Youth mailing list. To unsubscribe, send a mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe to this mailing list, visit http://www.jesusyouth.org/joynet For automatic help, send a mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] In case of any issue related to the mailing list contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] **************************************************************** Yahoo! Greetings - Send FREE e-cards for every occasion! **************************************************************** This mail is generated from JOYnet, a Jesus Youth mailing list. To unsubscribe, send a mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe to this mailing list, visit http://www.jesusyouth.org/joynet For automatic help, send a mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] In case of any issue related to the mailing list contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] ****************************************************************
