IC: I, 12; 18^th Sunday, Year A 2002

‘No adversity will be able to separate us from the love of Christ.’ Such was the conclusion of Saint Paul after his short litany of misfortunes and vicissitudes of life in the epistle to the Romans. That confidence of his was a by-product of his Christian faith, something that has often been derided by non-believers in posing their so-called ‘problem of evil’. For it indeed seems contradictory to assert God’s omnipotence and goodness in the face of the many evils that exist in the world, evils which, if God would so choose, He could remove from us.

The atheist, the agnostic and–yes, we should admit it, even suffering or perplexed believers as well–often have difficulty in a conceptual consideration of evil. This is indeed a mystery, not in the sense of an absurdity, but in that while we can gain some understanding in the matter, the whole truth, a completely satisfying resolution to the matter is not forthcoming. Today we want to speak of only one aspect of the myriad forms of evil that beset us–not perhaps the most challenging to faith, but very familiar to the lives of everyone: adversity.

This topic is given brief treatment in the Imitation of Christ where the author finds that a little adversity, far from being all bad, can do some good. I am reminded at the outset of something I retained from my summer reading in a pleasant little book on Beethoven, in which it was noted that the composer endured so many and various bodily afflictions that cost him great suffering throughout most his life. The consequence was–according to the writer–that the depth of his musical expression was gained, not in spite of his suffering, but on account of it. / Now, this is a much disputed position, of course, but it is a commonly arrived at conclusion. Does suffering indeed do us any good? This would seem a silly question in an age in which we would like to think that we have conquered physical pain and emotional distress through drugs and therapy. And yet I wonder whether, for all our accomplishments in science and medicine, we are in fact better off in the whole picture of our humanness today: are we happier, more virtuous, more stable, and spiritually more satisfied than our forebears? Part of the solution to the problem of why evil must be borne is that if it were to be eliminated much good (and maybe even the ultimate good, which is salvation) would also be eliminated along with it.

I return to the Imitation. It is good to encounter troubles and adversities from time to time, because trouble often compels us to search our hearts and to remind us not to put our trust in the things of this world. It reminds us that we are passing through a world of passing things. It is also not always bad that we are opposed and that men think ill of us and misjudge us, even when we mean so well, because these can gain us some humility and keep us from the illusory and dizzying heights of pride and glory-seeking. In fact, is it not true that we more often turn to God exactly in those times when we are despised, lonely, distressed, or in pain?

This view of adversity as advantageous is certainly a Christian one and is not likely to appeal to those who have no faith. Its logic then can be grasped only with a religious cast of mind. We see its truth more clearly perhaps in view of our eternal life’s goal. The plain fact is that when things are ‘going my way’ and all is well, it is al the easier to put aside from my mind the things that will matter ultimately. Moreover, those who are having it their way, in opposition to God’s, are most probably getting their rewards here to forfeit the greater and eternal rewards that are meant to come. This is a development of the teaching of our Lord who asked what profit there would be in gaining the whole world and losing thereby one’s very soul. Deprivation, sorrow, and hardship is not all bad, at least not necessarily so. These can make it so that through them we raise our minds to God, to long for release from this life’s instability and evils to be forever with Christ in glory. They also can be the occasion for gaining merit for our future inheritance whenever we bear them for the sake of Christ. We should think that–as in the case of Beethoven that I mentioned–there is often an advantage that can be obtained only through enduring some evils. These can cause virtues to spring up in us that may perhaps not be acquired in any other way: as, for example, in becoming patient, in developing an abiding cheerfulness of spirit, in becoming understanding and tolerant of the weaknesses of others. Estimating our personal evils as a gift from God is a knowledge that’s beyond the grasp of a non-believer but as anyone who has ever untied himself to Christ in times of trouble knows, this can be an advantage in purifying one of his sinful tendencies.

And one final point in this cursory exploitation of a complex subject: the sufferings of Christ are ever present in the mind of the afflicted believer. What Christian can expect to live without enduring evil when his innocent Lord became man and endured for him the very worst of evils? Should we get by without a scourging, without insult, betrayal, pain? Christ’s passion was not for Himself, but for our freedom from evils in eternity. Looking to the Lord’s cross should shame us in our self-pitying tendencies and make us behave with a more courageous spirit. As it says in the Letter to the Hebrews:

“Consider Christ who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood! ..Therefore, lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees.” (12:3-4,12).