One of the parts of life that is most challenging to deal with is pain: physical, psychological, and spiritual. As Christians, this should not be surprising to us. Did not Jesus tell his disciples to “Take up your cross and follow me.” The foundation of the Christian experience is the passage through the cross, death, and then comes the resurrection. This is especially significant for members and associates of the Holy Cross Community whose motto is, “Spes Unica – the cross, our only hope.”
Our pain can be physical, psychological, or spiritual or an over lapping of any two or all three. The first step to healing bodily pain is to name it and to realize that we are more than our pain. In fact, through naming our physical pain, we then might become more compassionate toward the tremendous suffering taking place in people from around the world. Our pain can be psychological stemming from our childhood with a feeling of abandonment or some kind of abuse. After counseling, the realization that God loves us unconditionally can be healing. There can be spiritual pain when we have not come to grips with our weaknesses and not being open to receive grace to ask for forgiveness from God, reconciliation with others or not forgiving ourselves. We can let our pain be a doorway to life.
- Are you dealing with some form of pain in your life right now?
- If so, can name your pain and where it comes from?
- Is God helping you in dealing with your pain?
O God, help me see how pain can help my spiritual growth.