Saturday, September 16, 2006
The Lingering Effects of Suffering


"Notice that the risen Jesus still bears his wounds. How can it be otherwise? In our own lives, times of suffering may lead to times of peace and joy, but we cannot escape the lingering effects of suffering. It permanently changes us -- we cannot pretend that it never happened. That the risen Jesus still bears his wounds is good news, for it tells us that there is a continuity between the lives we have now and the lives that we will enjoy in the Resurrection. Jesus is the same person. His wounds, though, are different: they are not a source of suffering but a source of recognition. It is only through seeing Jesus' wounds that Thomas recognizes him. In the Resurrection, we will still bear the effects of the hurts that have been done to us, but they will no longer cause us pain."

2 comment(s):

del_button September 16, 2006 at 2:00 PM
Anonymous said...

Suffering believe it or not can give a person character and empathy for other peoples'trials

del_button September 17, 2006 at 8:03 PM
tlwest said...

I agree whole heartedly

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