|
IN THIS ISSUE
From the President
|
It gives me great pleasure to write this, the first of my “musings” in our biannual magazine. When I became administrator back in 2007, one of the things that headed up my “to do” list was the task of finding someone to take over my job as editor of The CUSAN. It took some time before someone stepped forward to undertake the job. I am pleased to welcome Ms. Linda Louie as the new editor. I am sure that she will introduce herself a little further in her first editorial. Fortunately we are getting an issue published while we are still celebrating the Jubilee Year in honor of St. Paul which began on June 29 of last year and will close this coming June. The Jubilee Year has proven to be a moment of grace in the life of CUSA, a time when we have had the opportunity to reflect on the contribution St. Paul made to the entire Church and to the community within the Church which deals with chronic illness and disability. Perhaps one of the most frequently heard comments at a wake service is the one that goes something like this: “At least his/her suffering is over.” If the deceased was a young person who died in an accident, someone might say, “At least they didn’t have to suffer.” I wonder what St. Paul would have to say about such sentiments. St. Paul’s most eloquent statement about suffering is part of his First Letter to the Corinthians: For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with the wisdom of human eloquence, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning. The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the learning of the learned I will set aside." Where is the wise one? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made the wisdom of the world foolish? For since in the wisdom of God the world did not come to know God through wisdom, it was the will of God through the foolishness of the proclamation to save those who have faith. For Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (I Corinthians 1:17-24) If one thing is clear in this letter and in all of St. Paul’s letters, it is this. The mystery of the Incarnation validates the experience of human suffering. Though there are some who believe that human suffering is God’s way of punishing us for sin, the “wisdom” of the cross teaches us otherwise. Human suffering is redemptive. Through suffering, we give birth to something new. Just as the woman in labor suffers in order to give birth to a newborn baby, we must also suffer to give birth to the “new age,” the age of Jesus Christ. It is St. Paul’s contention that this is precisely what we do as each of us takes up our particular cross and follows Jesus. There is a story about a man who felt that the cross that he had been given was too heavy and asked too much of him. So he prayed and asked God to remove the cross from his life. God answered his prayer and said, “My son, since you feel that the cross I have given you is too heavy, go into the room to your right. Place your cross against the wall and then choose another cross from among the many you will find in that room.” So the man did as he was told. He entered the room and found it full of crosses of all shapes and sizes, of greater and lesser weight. He placed his cross on the pile of crosses and began to sort through the various crosses, looking for something that was more to his liking. As he weighed each cross and scanned them for one that he thought would suit him. It took him quite a while before he decided upon the particular cross that he felt was the best choice for him. He then returned to the throne of God and showed God the cross he had chosen. At this God commented with surprise: “But my son, that is the one you took in there with you!” The story illustrates an idea that has been expressed in many different ways: “If God brings you to it, God will bring you through it”; or “When God gives us a cross to carry, He also gives us the strength that it requires.” There is no question about the fact that some individuals must bear very heavy crosses. Each time that I go to see my rheumatologist at the Chicago Rehabilitation Institute, I am left speechless at the picture of human suffering that I witness there. The individuals that I see there give me a completely different appreciation for the cross I must bear. Several CUSANS have commented that their favorite Pauline quotation comes from his Letter to the Philippians: I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me. (Philippians 4:13) Indeed, it is the strength of Jesus Christ, who himself endured human suffering, into which we must tap if we are to carry our crosses with resignation, with patience, and with a sense of peace. The Jubilee Year has afforded us a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the mystery of human suffering as it is lived by CUSANS each day. As I have read through the many different GL’s, I have been impressed with the fact that so many of you are commenting on and sharing verses from St. Paul’s letters. As I have said in the past, this is CUSA at its best. This is what we mean when we speak of sharing faith with one another. Each time we dip into the deep well that is the Scriptures, we come away enriched by the Word of God, a source of grace, a source of life which is one of God’s gracious gifts to us. As the Jubilee Year comes to an end, I hope you will continue to engage in that kind of sharing as you continue to grow in your vocation to holiness. St. Paul, pray for us.
|
|
Home Who We Are Cusa Blog Caregivers Inspiration Membership Friends of Cusa The Cusan Gallery |
|
|
