A visiting priest in our parish told us a story. I want to use it to talk about a very great mystery: the mystery of the salvific (saving) capacity of our suffering. The story was about a father and his son:
“My son and I were out for a walk one bright summer day. My son, “special” because of some disabilities, liked to walk through the park, so that is where we went. We passed by a baseball field, where a made-up game was in progress. The boys playing seemed to be about my son’s age. We stopped to watch.
After a few minutes, my son asked, “Dad, do you think I could play with them?” I didn’t know, but I said I would find out. I looked the guys over and picked one that seemed to be a leader in the group and who had a kind-looking face. I approached him, pointed to my son, and asked if he could play with them.
He looked at my son, looked at the ground, looked at his team-mates, then said, “Well, we’re down by 6 runs in the bottom of the 8th. I guess it won’t hurt if he joins us to lose the game.”
He motioned for my son to come on over. As the inning ended, he was given a glove and t-shirt and put out in right field. No balls came near him, but, hey, he was on the grass and with team. He was happy!
Now it was my son’s team’s turn to bat. The first batter hit a low grounder between first and second. He got to first base. A second batter hit a good one to center field. Both advanced a base…And so it went until now my son’s team was down one with two outs. They had been through all the other batters. It was my son’s turn to bat.
“Well, the game will be over soon now,” I thought. My son had never to my knowledge ever swung at a ball. He didn’t even hold the bat right. But one of the players helped him get a decent grip. The pitcher threw the ball.
Strike one! My son got back in the batter’s box. The pitcher seemed to understand what he was dealing with. He stepped up closer. He lobbed an easy one. But…Strike two! Yet my son ALMOST hit the ball that time. In spite of myself, I hoped…what if?
Now the pitcher moved even closer to the batter’s box. A straight ball hit the bat and his team-mates screamed, “Run, Run, Run!” My son ran…in his own way. While I was rejoicing that he got to hit the ball, the first baseman let the ball roll right past him. By the time he picked it up, my son was on first base! He gave me a big grin!
The next batter hit a solid ball to left field…but the outfielder didn’t catch it until after it hit the ground. He swung to throw it to second base…but he threw it high, over the second baseman’s head. Again, the team yelled “Run! Run! Run!” My son ran…not fast, but faster than he’d ever run in his life.
He was the tying run with a winning run behind him. The next batter came up. On the third throw he hit one straight to second…but it went just over the second baseman’s head. Now everybody on both teams shouted, “Run, Run, Run.”
Well, that ball just didn’t seem to end up in anybody’s glove until my son was safely home! It was glorious!”
The story ended by saying that the man’s son had died the next winter. But he never stopped talking about the day he won the ball game.
What Paul Says to the Colossians
I use this story to talk about today’s first reading from Colossians because I think it illustrates St. Paul’s meaning better than a story I might tell of my carebound communicants suffering in the sick room. In a sick room story, it is easy to get side-tracked by our own empathy to the pain. We watch suffering and spontaneously cry out to God in pain of our own.
In suffering, it isn’t the pain which is salvific: it is the offering of self from the midst of the pain in selfless love—as Christ offered himself in selfless love. Then the power of God giving Himself on the cross is joined and released once again.
Was Christ’s offering of himself not enough? Yes, it was enough.
If it was enough, then why must people suffer today? How do my sufferings or the sufferings of my friend with cancer “fill up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ”?
St. Paul says,
I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake,
and in my flesh I am filling up
what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ
on behalf of his Body, which is the Church,
of which I am a minister
in accordance with God’s stewardship given to me
to bring to completion for you the word of God,
the mystery hidden from ages and from generations past.
But now it has been manifested to his holy ones,
to whom God chose to make known the riches of the glory
of this mystery among the Gentiles;
it is Christ in you, the hope for glory.
It is he whom we proclaim,
admonishing everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom,
that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.
To Bring to Completion
That phrase, “to bring to completion” is important, very important. The catechism gives this explanation:
618 The cross is the unique sacrifice of Christ, the “one mediator between God and men.” Because in his incarnate divine person he has in some way united himself to every man, “the possibility of being made partners, in a way known to God, in the paschal mystery” is offered to all men. He calls his disciples to “take up their cross and follow him,” for “Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example so that we should follow in his steps.” He gives us an opportunity to “complete”, to finish, in our time and place and suffering the power of self-giving love which Jesus (God) first made at Calvary. (CCC 618)
From the Example of the Story
The story helps me to see the meaning. In the story, there was suffering in the father and in the son because of the son’s disabilities. There was suffering in the ball players on both teams—as they gave up their own desires to win in order that the son could have the joy of playing and winning.
What happened in this story? As I see it, the suffering of the father and son called out to the boys on the field. It created an opportunity for their hearts and souls to expand in their capacity to love God and love neighbor. There was more love in the world that day because of what happened on the ball field. Nobody’s sacrifice was big—but it bore fruit. And because the hearts expanded, their capacity for loving as God loves and with God could continue. I’ll bet the man’s son was not the only person who remembered that game long afterwards.
To Serious Suffering
In a similar way, when my friend with cancer now in its final painful stages, offers her pain to God, God unites her offering with the offering of Christ on the cross…and so she joins Christ in not only suffering, but having meaning to her suffering and bringing goodness from it here and now in the 21st century. She manifests and creates more love in the world.
And when those of us who love her stand by her, if only with our Presence and prayers, offering our pain of sharing here, she and we manifest more love in the world.
Suffering creates vulnerability. Vulnerability creates opportunities to offer self. Offering self, when combined with God’s offering of himself to us, transfigures, transforms human suffering into opportunities to bring more love into the world.
This whole concept is hard for me. The story helps me. I hope it helps you. We all have the ability to offer up to God the levels of suffering of the ball players….and we have the ability to pray for those who are currently offering up much.
Prayer:
O Lord, be with my two friends who are suffering much from cancer now. Console them with your Presence. Receive their gifts of their suffering and magnify it to add to the power of the cross to save us all. Be with us who love them, who are like the boys playing ball. Help us to be touched and our hearts grow. Be with us all.
