Jesus ends up revealing to us a beautiful mystery when it comes to our suffering, especially in the Gospel of John where he says to his disciples:
“Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” -John 15:13
The most significant aspect of this verse is that Jesus doesn’t just say this to his disciples, but he lived it out by choosing to die for us on the cross. His sacrifice, His willingness to go through all of that humiliation, torture, and sorrow for you and for me, shows us that, out of suffering comes authentic love. In a season where we wholeheartedly place Christ in the center of our lives, we’re called to reflect on His unconditional love for us. During this time of Lent, through the personal sacrifices we choose to make, Christ invites us to enter into His unconditional love, through what the church calls “redemptive suffering.”
The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes redemptive suffering as the uniting of personal sacrifices with the sacrifice of the cross of Jesus Christ. This unification carries significant merit for the reparation of the physical and spiritual health of others (CCC 1502, 1505, 1521).
Noah Salas
Lifeteen