Facing the mystery of suffering
Good Friday
We stand before the cross, looking up at our crucified Lord. It is a confronting place to be. Each Good Friday we find ourselves drawn to this solemn commemoration of the passion and death of Jesus. We are aware that this was the way in which the Son of God has redeemed humanity, opening for each of us the way to salvation.
In looking upon the cross we are looking into the face of human suffering. In the agonising death that he underwent, we are aware of the suffering and agonising death of so many in the world today. We are plunged into the profound mystery of human suffering.
There are no words in the face of deep suffering. Suffering is shrouded in mystery and, when we find ourselves at the edge of mystery, all we can do is fall silent. At the crucifixion stood Mary his mother and the disciple, John, wrapped in silent grief.
The words of the Stabat Mater come to mind:
At the Cross her station keeping,
stood the mournful Mother weeping,
close to her Son to the last.
Even when he turns his attention to his mother and entrusts her to St John, and so to the whole church, there are no exchange of words between them; Mary is silent. There is the silent gaze of two people fully immersed in the agony and mystery.
Suffering is borne in silence. Yet there is a meaning to be found. Jesus reveals to us that the way of redemption is through suffering. The powerful words of the Prophet Isaiah which we read this afternoon eloquently express this:
Yet ours were the sufferings he bore,
Ours the sorrows he carried.
But we thought of him as someone punished,
Struck by God and brought low.
Yet he was pierced through for our faults,
Crushed for our sins.
On him lies a punishment that brings us peace
And though his wounds we are healed.
On the cross Jesus assumed all the suffering of humanity. Our individual sufferings are taken up in the cross and, in the words of the Prophet, “through his wounds we are healed”.
The experience of suffering, in whatever form it takes, brings a perspective to human life. Times of happiness and wellbeing, for which we all long, are blessings, but they also can blind us to the deeper realities of life. We can become self-interested and seek pleasure for its own sake. We can believe we are invincible.
Suffering, accepted in the right spirit, humbles us, reveals the true fragility of human life. We certainly learn that we cannot control our destiny and determine our state of being. We are led to deeper truths about ourselves and the purpose to human life. It opens the possibility to pursue things of the spirit and not just things of the earth.
Enduring suffering also breeds a deeper compassion towards others. We are more sensitive to the struggles of others around us. We find within us a desire to help and support others in need. Our hearts are softened, and we grow in understanding of what others have to deal with in their lives.
In other words, the experience of suffering draws us into a path of redemption. Accepted in a humble and trusting spirit suffering helps us to surrender our lives into the hands of God. Our inner spirit is being reshaped and moulded into something far more beautiful, radiant even.
There is one more aspect to suffering that needs to be considered. Sufferings come to us and are not of our choosing. Tragedy strikes and we have to accept something we wish never occurred. But it has.
However, we can also choose paths that involve suffering. Jesus himself had the choice not to go to the cross. He struggled intensely in the Garden of Gethsemane, finally embracing his Father’s will. Thus, the suffering he endured was his choice. And, of course, he did it for the purpose of reconciling humanity with God.
In the Gospels Jesus says to us that if we want to truly be his disciples then we must take up our cross and follow him. Here is a call to voluntary suffering. Christians have understood this in a variety of ways. During Lent we have taken on acts of self-denial. Those called to priestly ministry accept the call to celibacy, denying themselves the good of marriage.
We know that we must stand by what we believe and can find ourselves at odds with the society around us. In times of persecution Christians have had to choose between denying Christ or accepting even martyrdom. A choice has to be made.
Such choices become the means by which we participate in the sufferings of Christ. Even accepting humbly the daily trials of life. Facing tasks that we find hard or burdensome, these can be done in a spirit of faith and united with the sufferings of Christ.
Because of what Jesus had done for us the Christian sees suffering in a whole new way. Uniting ourselves with Christ, all suffering has a redemptive value. Contemplating what Jesus himself endured, our sufferings are slight indeed.
Today we stand before the cross of Christ. We believe, as the prophet Isaiah expressed, that Jesus took on his sufferings for our sake. He surrendered himself to death “bearing the faults of many and praying all the time for sinners”. We believe that “by his wounds we are healed”.
We accept the sufferings that come our way and unite ourselves with the crucified Christ. And willing to take up our cross and follow him, we accept sufferings that may come to us because we seek to be faithful disciples of the Lord.
The cross is the central and defining symbol of Christianity. We unite ourselves to the cross of Christ knowing that it is the way to life and the source of salvation.
Archbishop Julian Porteous
Friday, 18 April 2025