"St. Sebastian Attended by Irene and her Maid" by Hendrick Terbrugghen
Redemptive Suffering
"...if we have received good things at the hand
of God, why should we not receive evil?"
Job 2:10
As a devout Catholic, I believe in redemptive suffering and the concept of "offering up" of the physical pains and discomforts that occur on this plane of reality for the benefit of eternal salvation and the chance of viewing the Beatific Vision. This belief that not all suffering should be avoided but instead embraced and accepted contradicts the sensibilities and philosophies of today, especially in secular circles. The desire by some to complete remove all suffering from life is completely anathema to my religious and philosophical--I am a Thomist--beliefs.
I view suffering as an essential characteristic of human life since the Fall of Man in the Garden of Eden without which man would be hard pressed to better himself, to atone for his actions, and to aid in the atonement of the actions of others, such as by offering up earthly sufferings for the expeditious release of souls from Purgatory into Heaven. Thus, the fact that some suffer more than others is an aid in the quest to the Beatific Vision. For example, those born with genital disorders that can give rise to a great amount of suffering during life or may result in an "untimely" death have a greater advantage at their disposal for the likening of their souls to that of Christ's soul than do those who experience a life devoid of all pain, suffering, and discomfort.
In addition, I disagree with the notion of an "untimely" death; all who are born must die, the presumption that life will end later in life is a sin to be avoided, for one does not know when death shall arrive. By viewing some deaths as "untimely," people place an unhealthy expectation on life. While experiencing the loss of a loved one who was young can be difficult, the focus should not be on the selfish desire to have that loved one still among us but instead on the hope that the loved one has been welcomed into the grace of Heaven to the Beatific Vision with little time in a purgative state.
It is for these reasons that I decided to explore more closely the relation of suffering and philosophy, especially in the context of how those philosophies affect the decisions that people make. Furthermore, I had more personal reasons for exploring this relationship, since suffering and pain has played a significant factor in my life, having been diagnosed with an abnormal group of blood vessels in my brain that causes debilitating migraines and pain.
For a very well written account of the thought of redemptive suffering, I recommend this site.
"This site was created for an honors course at Monmouth College by students."