THOUGHTS ON SUFFERING

During the past week or so I have been meditating on a couple of passages from Richard Rohr's “The Divine Dance.” I would like to share a few of these thoughts with you in the hope that you may want to read the complete version in the book itself:

Awe and wonder are terms that are often correlative with mystery. All fundamentalist religion is terribly uncomfortable with mystery; it likes to take full control of the data, and mystery by definition leaves you out of control. Such moments of vulnerability are the very space where God can most easily break in with fresh experience; in fact, I doubt if God can break through in any other way.   …

Suffering is the only thing strong enough to break down your control systems, explanatory mechanisms, logical paradigms, desire to be in charge, and carefully maintained sense of control. Both God and the guided soul know to trust suffering, it seems. 

God normally has to lead you to the limits of your private resources. Some event, person, or moral situation must force you to admit, I cannot do this in my present state. This is our suffering.

Or your understanding of “what it all means“ has to fail you in a very personal way: I can’t make sense of this. I can’t get through today.

This often happens when there has been a physical death, or the death of a marriage, a reputation, or an occupation. But you always feel both afraid and trapped. “How?” You cry out with ten levels of anguish and impossibility.

A good spiritual Director might say quietly to themselves (not to the sufferer), Hallelujah! Now we’re going to begin the real spiritual journey. P.125

I hope that something in this post will catch your attention and challenge you the way I have been challenged myself.

Can you let go and let God catch you?