Lorenzetti, Dino

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The Linacre QuarterlyVolume 51 | Number 4 Article 12November 1984Commentary on the Apostolic Exhortation onHuman SufferingDino LorenzettiFollow this and additional works at: http://epublications.marquette.edu/lnqRecommended CitationLorenzetti, Dino (1984) "Commentary on the Apostolic Exhortation on Human Suffering," The Linacre Quarterly: Vol. 51 : No. 4 ,Article 12.Available at: http://epublications.marquette.edu/lnq/vol51/iss4/12i\ inrtnr'.a Jrayrr The author of this poem was a past president of the Califo ; ia Academy of Family Physicians; the poem appeared in the Januo y/ February, 1982 issue of that group's publication, California P. Doctor Snodgrass died of a cerebral hemorrhage in November, 19 :2. 336 mEACH me, dear Lord, that the hypertrophy of the head is more deadly than the hypertrophy of the heart, that the hyper-acidity of unforgiveness is more distressing than the "heart burn" of an ulcer. Help me to live so that I can lie down and sleep each night, with a clear conscience, without a bromide or barbiturate, and unhaunted by the faces of those I have charged fees. Grant, I beseech Thee, the power to focus my eyes on the distant goal of Heaven; eyes undimmed by the blurring myopia of fame or fortune. Keep my ears alert to the call of duty, undeafened by the clinking of polluted dollars. Guide my mind and hand as I administer healing potions to suffering patients; help me to remember that the hypodermic needles should be tempered with the therapy of sympathy; the tonics enhanced by the stimulant of kindness; the transfusions aided by the nourishment of tenderness. And then, when the last patient has been comforted, when the stethoscope, journals, and books have been laid aside, may my last call be Thy call, as I rest in the peace which Thou only can send. Amen. · Wilfred Snodgrass, M. D. Linacre Quarterly Commentary on the Apostolic Exhortation on Human Suffering Msgr. Dino Lorenzetti Monsignor Lorenzetti, spiritual advisor of the National Federation of Catholic Physicians' Guilds, gave this address at the group's annual convention, held in Philadelphia in October, 1984. Man suffers in ways not always considered by medicine . The suffer-ing is wider and more complex than sickness and, at the same time, is deeply rooted in humanity itself. While an individual's pain is contained within himself, suffering, Which evokes compassion, has a ripple effect which brings that person to a deeper bond with his neighbor. For example, we can view on television the starvation of children in South America, or witness Jleople who have been bombed in the Middle East and we immediately share in the plight of these victims. . In the Old Testament, suffering and evil are identified with each other. Yet the Christian sees suffering as an experience of evil with a finn basis toward goodness when suffering is united with the passion and death of Christ to bring about salvation. In the early pages of Scripture, after man had committed sin, the Words of the Creator were pronounced: "You are dust and to dust You shall return." Since that day in history, the mystery of human SUffering and death is somehow involved with ·the consequences of sin·. , . While man endures suffering, it seems to be particularly essential to his nature that he go beyond himself, to transcend his suffering in following Christ, the Redeemer Who gained salvation for all mankind through His suffering and cross. Our .beloved Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, at St . Peter 's in Rome on the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, Feb. 11, 1984, spoke on the Christian meaning of human suffering as a theme for the Holy Year. It therefore seems most fitting that at this national gathering of Catholic Physicians we consider a summary and commentary . of this apostolic exhortation on human suffering as being of special importance for the 1\lesta and participants at this convention. November, 1984 337 The Book of Job presents the question, "Why does suffering .ist?" Job accepts the mystery of suffering as one who is innocen •nd is rewarded . Suffering is looked upon as having the nature of a t • , and that God, just judge that He is, rewards good and punishes evil. In Jesus' dialogue with Nicodemus, He introduced us to U very heart of God's salvific work. Jesus revealed to humankind the .vhy" of redemption when He said, "God so loved the world that I gave His only Son, and whoever believes in Him shall not perish, b. have eternal life." Yes, God gave His Son to the world to free man fn ·.n evil which bears within itself the definitive and absolute perspec t Je on , suffering. This liberation can and must be achieved by the suffE mg of His only begotten Son. Christ drew very near to the world of suffering as "He wenT about doing good." He healed the sick, consoled the afflicted, f ,. the hungry, cared for the unwanted, and assured those who gave a ·up of water in His name that they were giving it to Him. Compassion for Suffering Jesus demonstrated His great compassion toward those su ffering from various physical illnesses as He went among the lepers, '~uring them, and healing those possessed by the devil. On three different occasions, Jesus exercised His greatness by restoring the dead t o life. In teaching the beatitudes, Jesus called " blessed" those who accepted the sufferings inflicted upon them during their temporal life, as they would be assured of the kingdom of heaven. To clarify His teaching regarding "Who is your neighbor?" Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan who, on a journey, encoun tered a suffering victim abandoned on the road. The Samaritan not only stopped to care for the immediate needs of this ailing human being, but went beyond common courtesies to show his love for his neigh-bor. He gave money to the innkeeper to provide for the future n eeds of this stranger and promised that, on his return home, he would reimburse him for any additional costs. This generous, unselfish and compassionate Samaritan displa.yed a genuine sensitivity toward the man who was found suffering. This Samaritan, whom Jesus called " good, " exemplified the perfection of what is expected in the fu lfill-ment of the law to " love thy neighbor." The prophet Isaiah spoke of the Messiah as " the man of sorrows" - a person ·despised, rejected, acquainted with grief, wounded for our transgressions, spat upon and crowned with thorns. John the Baptist called Jesus " the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world." It was by His acceptance of the passion and His suffering as the onlY begotten Son, out of love for the Father, that Jesus annihilated the evil in the relationship between God and humanity and thus restored mankind to holiness. 338 Human suffering had reached its culmination when Christ pleaded with the Father, "If possible, let this cup pass from Me, yet not as I will, but as Thou wiliest. " At Golgotha, the evil of suffering experienced by Jesus was expressed in His words, "My God, my God, why have You abandoned Me?" In an indescribable way., Jesus underwent this suffering which is separation, estrangement from God. Yet it w~ precisely through this suffering that He accomplished the redemption and could say, as He breathed His last, "It is finished." Christ's suffering, linked to love, challenges all who suffer to mani-fest moral greatness in their spiritual maturity and to bring, above all, good from the depths of their suffering. . Since Jesus suffered in place of man, and for man, and raised human suffering to the level of redemption, each suffering person is called to become a sharer in the redemptive suffering of Christ. The scriptures quote Sts. Peter and Paul who outline on different occasions the merits of accepting the mystery of suffering in the name of the Lord. St. Peter says that "You know that you were ransomed, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ." Again, he says, " Rejoice, insofar as you share Christ's suffer-ings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed.'' This was not always Peter 's understanding of suffering. On a pre-vious occasion, he wanted Jesus to abandon His suffering and death on the cross. It was then that Jesus reprimanded him, for he was judging by man's ways instead of God's ways. St. John reports that, in the passion of Jesus, Simon Peter tried to defend the Lord with a sword, but was told by the Master, " Put your IWord back into its place. Shall I not drink the cup that the Father has Kiven me?" It was in fulfillment of the scriptures that Jesus obediently accepted the will of the Father. St. Paul to the Coloss~ns When addressing the Colossians, St. Paul said, " Now I rejoice in my SUfferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of His body, that is the Church." In the strange paradox, " I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake," the springs of divine power gush forth precisely in the midst of human lreakness. Those who share in the sufferings of Christ preserve in their OlVn sufferings a very special particle in the infinite treasure of the 1rorld's redemption and can share this treasure with others. The more one is threatened by sin, the greater is the eloquence which human IUffering possesses in itself. ovember, 1984 339 Linacre QuarterlY --- -~ When speaking to the Galatians, Paul stated, " I have been cr\ ified with Christ" and "But far be it from me to glory except in the c ss of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified J me and I to the world." The salvific value of suffering is repeated by Paul over a over An In-Depth Review of Homosexuality: A New Christian Ethic Rev. John F. Harvey, O.S.F.S. again. When talking to the Romans, he proceeded to say, " ~ are • fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with Him in order t :tt we may also be glorified with Him. I consider that the suffering~ ~ this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that H .o be revealed in us.' ' , Father Harvey received the Linacre Quarterly rzward on Oct. 20, God has confirmed His desire to be united with and act V ·ough suffering, which is man's weakness and emptying of himsel~ . 1 ) per· mits the weakness which comes about through human suffenn~ to be infused with the same power of God manifested in Christ's cro. , thus allowing man to become a sharer in the redemptive sufferings Jf His 1984 at the NFCPG annual meeting in Philadelphia, in recognition of 1 t~e great number of book reviews and articles he has written for Lmacre during the past years. Son. • Christ did not conceal from His listeners the need of suffer~ .g. He said very clearly, "If any man would come after Me, let him ! ,ke up his cross daily and follow Me." In suffering, there is hidden a particular power which draw>: a per· son interiorly close to Christ. It is a special grace. Christ, thrOl ,{h His own salvific suffering, is very much present in every suffering ,Jerson and acts from within that suffering person by His spirit. , He wishes to penetrate every sufferer through the heart of H :s holy mother for it was on Calvary that Mary 's suffering, beside that of her Son r:ached an intensity which can hardly be imagined from the hu~an point of view, but which was mysterious and supernaturallY fruitful for the redemption of the world. · . The answer to suffering comes through one's sharing of the in tenor encounter with the Lord. It is in itself something more than a mere abstract answer to the question about the meaning of suffering, for Jt is above all a call. It is a vocation. Christ does not explain in the abstract the reasons for suffering, but before all else, He says, "Foll?W Me- come! Take part through your suffering in the work of saviD~ the world a salvation achieved through suffering, through My cro~s . , Gradually' as the individual takes up his cross, spiritually unit ing hJ!n· self to th~ cross of Christ, the salvific meaning of suffering is revealed to him . It is then that man finds in his suffering interior peace and even spiritual joy . · · . · e Homosexuality : A New Christian Ethic, written by Elizabeth ~Oberly and published by Attic Press, Greenville, S.C., should be read In conjunction with the author's previous volume, Psychogenesis: The Early Development of Gender Identity which I reviewed in the May, 1984 issue of Linacre Quarterly . Moberly first reviews the principal elements of her theory concerning the nature of homosexuality and then challenges Christian ethicists to seek a deeper understanding of the condition, with a view to the development of a more adequate ~toral program for homosexual persons. To comprehend her posi-~on, however, one must review her psychological premises. From e~ht years of intensive research, Moberly holds that a homosexual ?nentation " does not depend on a genetic dispositional hormonal llnbalance, or abnormal learning processes, but on difficulties in the P&rent-child relationship, especially in the earlier years of life." I. Relational Deficit Suffering is truly supernatural because it is rooted in the _d lVIDf mystery and is deeply human because in it, a person discovers h1msel ' his own humanity, his own dignity, his own mission. M Admitti_ng the complexity of the homosexual phenomenon, Oberly smgles out one underlying principle -that the homosexual ~~~~ or woman " has suffered from some deficit in the relationship ~lth the parent of the same sex. and that there is a corresponding drive lllake good this deficit through the medium of same-sex or 'homo-~ual' relationships. " The term "deficit" does not in itself imply any ;uuul neglect or maltreatment of the child by the same-sex parent, et some kind of trauma has disrupted the normal attachment to the , =:;sex parent, leaving the child unfulfilled in its need for same-sex be . hm~n~ . Many factors are involved in this disruption, and it would Of 81mphstlC to attribute it to a single factor, like divorce with absence be the ~me-sex parent. The hurt of the child becomes traumatic when /she Is no longer willing to relate to the source , his/her parent. An 340 Linacre QuarterlY --------------------------------- --November, 1984 341 --------------------------------

Commentary on the Apostolic Exhortation on Human Suffering

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Commentary on the Apostolic Exhortation on Human Suffering

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