Sharing Suffering
Author: Andrew Comiskey
January 17, 2022
'I write to comfort others
as I have been comforted. The word "comfort" means to be strong together, to
have fortitude together. There is the reminder of community. Once when I
suffered and sat in church in a misery while waves and billows passed over me,
I suddenly thought, with exultation, "I am sharing suffering," and it was
immediately lightened.' Dorothy
Day
Chill dry wind blew
through my otherwise cozy holiday season. Unexpected. Flimsy walls failed to
block the needling of some deep needs. I felt them yet didn’t; joyful rushing
about delayed the inevitable. Only His Presence invited me to lay bare my soul.
I entered the Adoration
chapel at a nearby parish and fell facedown before the exposed Host. Grateful
to be alone with Jesus but powerless to stem the tide of emotion, I began to
sob for a few minutes. Then I began interceding deeply, with no words, except
for the faces of a few whom I knew were far more afflicted than I: a family
wracked by cancer, friends immersed in perversion, a marriage shattered by
adultery, orthodox loving parents abandoned by LGBTQ+ children.
For an hour, I felt the
anguish of these ones and the Lord’s aching heart for each. In a strange way, I
felt that these persons were nearby, with me before the Lord.
That happened several
times during the holidays. Light and momentary grief of a familiar kind became
the threshold for intercession.
My ache seemed minor in
contrast to those for whom I prayed. It is, in truth. I frankly had a great time
throughout Advent and Christmas and Epiphany. Surrounded by lovely family
members and a few friends, my need surprised me. But bringing it before Jesus transformed
a lack into what I hope is others’ gain.
I urge you to allow Jesus
to bind up your aches and pains as to loose prayer for those more needy than
you. Intercession invites community and consolation with persons miles away.
When we allow our beings to be touched by others’ pain, we can travail for the
alleviation of their pain. It gives meaning to our own suffering; it releases
hope for others in ways we won’t know until we see Him face-to-face.
‘…we ourselves, who have
the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our
adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies…the Spirit helps us in our
weakness. We don’t know what to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for
us with groans that words cannot express.’ (Rom. 8: 3, 26)
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