The Jeff Cavins Show (Your Catholic Bible Study Podcast) - 15 Things to Do in the Midst of Suffering

Episode Date: February 15, 2018

Every single one of us is going to suffer at one time or another, but the questions is: how are we going to go through that suffering. Are we going to suffer well or are we going to suffer poorly? Whether you are currently in the midst of suffering or want to learn how to suffer well, Jeff’s fifteen ideas will completely change the way you approach suffering in your life. To find out more about the Fulfilled Bible Study recommended by Jeff in this episode go to Ascensionpress.com. We’d Love to Hear from You Do you have comments or questions for Jeff? Use the comment box below, or email Jeff at [e-mail]. You may hear your question or comment in an upcoming podcast episode!

You're listening to The Jeff Kavins Show, Episode 52, 15 Things to Do When Suffering. Hey, I'm Jeff Kavins. How do you simplify your life? How do you study the Bible? All the way from motorcycle trips to raising kids, we're going to talk about the faith and life in general. It's the Jeff Kavon show. Thanks for joining me again this week. I know you want to talk about suffering.

That's what we're going to talk about this week. Most people would not Google that and say, you know, that's what I'm going to listen for this week. But I have news for you, and that is that every single one of us is going to suffer at one time or another. And the question is, how are we going to go through it? Are we going to suffer well, or are we going to suffer poorly? And the topic of suffering has been a subject that I have thought about so much in my life. In fact, I wrote a book called When You Suffer. and try to really lay out the sense of it.

Does the suffering make sense? And I've had other podcasts on this and radio shows on suffering, and you can go back and look at those. But I thought what I would do today is to give you kind of a shot in the arm, to give you 15 things to do in the midst of your suffering, when you're suffering. And I hope that it's a benefit for you. You might be driving in the car right now.

you might be at home. You might be sitting on the back of your house in Florida, looking at that beautiful sunset, whatever it might be, but you need some help in how to go through suffering in your life. So we're going to talk about that. Hey, before we do, I do have an email here, and John writes, and he says, thanks for all the awesome work you're doing with the podcast. It's just wisdom oozing out of the podcast. That's an interesting picture there. The episode on Cup of Curigma is a pure gem. No one talks about that enough in the Catholic world. You're equipping us to share our faith and evangelize while sharing your heart and wisdom with us at the same time. Thank you for that and be encouraged that you're making a difference in the lives

of your Catholic listeners. Appreciate it, John. And that's really the hope of the show. It's the goal is to give good information on a weekly basis that will help people make the decisions on a daily basis as far as being a disciple and being an effective and a fruitful disciple. And that particular show, a cup of curigma, really got a lot of feedback on that one. Of course, the churigma is the basic proclamation of the gospel, seven points that we highlight. and if you have a friend, you can give him a cup of curigma and give them a blessing. Tell them what God has meant in your life and what he's done and what they need to do to find this beautiful new life. Hey, I mentioned that last show, I want to say it again. We got a brand new study for you at ascensionpress.com.

It's Sonia Corbett, and she has a new study called Fulfilled, uncovering the biblical foundations of Catholicism. you're going to like her. I may say you're going to fall in love with her. She is such a good teacher and so contagious. And it's a real privilege for me to introduce her to our team, Sonia Corbett, and I'll put that in the show notes. You can go and get a hold of that new teaching fulfilled part one. That means it's going to be a part two. And I also mentioned last week, and I'll do it again this week. I need to know from you, we're thinking about sending out the show notes, not attaching them just to the program on iTunes or SoundCloud or wherever,

but we're actually talking about asking you to sign up for the show and we'll send you a link and we'll send you the show notes every single week so that you don't have to worry about those show notes. I know a lot of you are listening in the car on the way to work and home and you don't have the time to pull over and write down the scriptures or the URLs that I'm giving you, you know, the sites. And so we want to provide those for you. And I do think that this show provides really good notes.

And that's thanks to our great team. And but if you want to, if you want us to send them to you every week, let me know. And we're going to make a decision very shortly on this. My email is the Jeff Kavan Show at ascensionpress.com. And if you would just write me and say, yeah, I'd like to get those. notes every week. I'm willing to sign up for that. Well, we'll do it. We'll send them to you. Okay. Well, turning to our topic this week, suffering, before I give you the 15 things to do in the midst of suffering, I want to kind of lay a real brief foundation, and that is this. As

Christians, we have the opportunity to lift up or offer up our suffering in union with Jesus' suffering. And when we do that, our suffering has changed. He's redeemed our lives. He's also redeemed our suffering, and he's made it worth something. It's heavenly cash, if you will. And Paul said to the Colossians in chapter 1 and verse 24, I rejoice in my suffering for your sake. In my flesh, I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is the church. That's a startling statement where Paul is saying that in my own suffering here on earth, whether it be physical or moral suffering, that's the emotional aspect of suffering, whether it be physical or moral, I am filling up that which is lacking in the

sufferings of Christ. Well, the glaring question there is what could possibly be lacking in the sufferings of Christ? And the answer is our participation. Because you see, everything that Jesus did in his messianic mission, whether it be suffering, dying for us, judging, intercessory role, king, you name it, counsel, priest, high priest, every aspect of his ministry. He does not keep to himself. He shares it with his body, the church. And this is how we come to work with Christ, and we come to know Christ. And so in the area of suffering, we have a role to play, and we can take our suffering. And you're going to see in some of the scriptures I'm going to give you today, I'm going to give you a lot of scriptures and a lot of good sources.

Now, this show is really meant to just kind of pummel you with good news about what to do in the midst of your suffering. I would call this a delicious show, a delicious show. Say that 10 times fast. And so the basic foundation is that your suffering has meaning. If it's joined to Christ, we participate with him in loving the world, and we come to know him by joining with him in his work of suffering. So it's not a waste. And anybody that tells you, no, no, no, no, we don't have to suffer.

You know what? Just tell them, honey, you haven't read the New Testament. You have not read the New Testament. And I'm going to show that to you in the show today. So let's go down the list, shall we? we've got number one, number one, 15 things to do when suffering. Understand that we have been called to participate in the redemption of the world. Paul said, as I read just a moment ago in Colossians 1.24,

now I rejoice in my suffering for your sake and in my flesh. I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body that is the church. Paul said to the Romans in chapter 8, verse 28, we know that in everything, God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose. So point number one is that understand, you have been called to participate in the redemption of the world. Everything in your life works together for the good if you are called according to his purposes, and that also means suffering. Number two, if you are in the midst of suffering right now. Number two, entrust yourself to God. Now, this might seem like an academic

point, entrust yourself to God, and you may say, well, I do entrust myself to God. Well, what we need to do in the midst of suffering is we need to consciously entrust ourselves. First Peter 419 says it, well, therefore let those who suffer according to God's will do right and entrust their souls to a faithful creator. So, my friend, if you're going through suffering right now, whether it be physical suffering or moral suffering, you need to actively and consciously entrust your soul to him. Jesus, I entrust myself to you in the suffering that I'm experiencing,

and I'm going to do right in the midst of the suffering. I'm going to be faithful in the midst of the suffering. 1. Peter 419. Number three, if you're in the midst of suffering right now, you need to unite your will with the will of Christ through prayer. That's right. How do you unite your will with the will of Christ through prayer? Well, it's as easy as saying it, as a prayer. And Jesus did this. He did it back in Matthew 2639. Remember in the Garden of Gassimony? He says he went a little further. He fell on his face and he prayed, my father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou will. So what did Jesus do? He actively, consciously,

united his will with the will of his father. And what's interesting is the church teaches us that that Jesus was one person, two natures, human and divine. We call that the hypostatic union. we also know that, according to the Council of Constantinople, that Jesus had two wills and never was his human will in opposition to the divine will, always in sync. And so we, following in the footsteps of Jesus, when we're suffering, what do we do? We unite our will with the will of Christ through prayer in the midst of suffering and say, Lord, your will be done. Your will be done. Number four, if you're suffering right now, whatever it might be, family, finances, health, relationships, work, realize that Jesus will not

allow you to go through something that you can not handle. I don't know about you, but that's good news for me. I take a lot of comfort in that knowing that he knows what I'm going through. He sees what I'm facing. He understands the depth of angst that I'm in right now. He's not going to let me go too far. In 1 Corinthians 10, by the way, all these are in the show notes. First Corinthians 1013, Paul says, no temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. No temptation has overtaken you. That is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted. beyond your strength, but with the temptation will also provide the way of escape that you may be able to endure it. Whatever you're going through right now, please know it isn't over the

limit. Go to God. Submit yourself to God and take comfort in the fact that he is not going to allow you to be destroyed. Number five, embrace the suffering, conscious of the fact that God's grace is available, active, and effective. Embrace the suffering. Conscious of the fact that God's grace is available, active, and effective. Love what Paul says here. In 2 Corinthians 12, 9, Paul says, but he said to me, because Paul was experiencing this thorn in the side and this suffering that he was going through, and he went to the Lord

three times and said, remove it. And the Lord said to him, my grace, what's grace? grace is the life of the Trinity. My grace is sufficient for you. For my power is made perfect in weakness. I will all the more gladly boast of my weakness that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Isn't that beautiful? Can you say that today as you're driving to work now or you're coming home? You're sitting on the back porch. Maybe you're You're laying down in bed and you've got a cold or something. Can you say my grace is sufficient for you?

Can you say God's grace is sufficient for you? His life is sufficient for you? Can you say that power, his power, is made perfect in my weakness? The only way his power can be made perfect in your weakness is for you to submit it to him. And to say, Lord, use this in my life right now. Use it. And so Paul says, hey, I will all the more gladly boast of my weakness. Don't bother me. I'm weak. Yeah, I'm weak. Because it's the power of Christ that will rest upon me in my weakness.

And as St. John Paul II said, in his wonderful writing, Salvifichy Dolores, on the meaning of human suffering, he said that it's precisely in the midst of our weakness that God's grace gushes forth. His power gushes forth in the midst of the weakness. Man, that's good stuff. That is good stuff. That's number five. We're going to take a break, and when I come back, I've got, wow, I've got ten more for you. And we're going to go through those rather quickly, but I want to give you as much as I can today, because I know that you are hungry for God and you want to know how can my suffering make sense and how can it become productive

and fruitful in my life. You're listening to the Joe. The Great Adventure Catholic Bible Study Program is the most popular and acclaimed Catholic Bible study out there, and it has helped hundreds of thousands of people find new meaning in their lives. If you want to encounter the power of God's Word and better understand how your life fits into the story of salvation history, consider participating in a great adventure Bible study. To preview the first session of any TGA Bible study for free, create an online account at Ascensionpress.com. All right. Welcome back. We're talking about the 15 things to do in the midst of suffering.

We've gone through five. Number six, go to confession. That's right. Go to confession. Focus on eliminating sin in your life. Why? Well, sin weakens your relationship with Jesus. It weakens it. We don't need to face the suffering in our life with a weakened relationship with Christ. Hebrews 121 says, therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us. If you're going through suffering right now, go to confession, get that sin out of the way, so you can run, and you can run like a gazelle.

Number seven, participate on the patent during Mass. What do we mean there? What do we mean by participate on the patent during Mass? Well, that's the place where you offer your suffering up to God. The catechism says in paragraph 1350, the presentation of the offerings, the offatory, then sometimes in procession the bread and wine are brought to the altar. They will be offered by the priest in the name of Christ in the Eucharistic sacrifice,

in which they will become his body and blood. It is the very action of Christ at the last supper, taking the bread and cup. The church alone offers this pure oblation to the Creator when she offers what comes forth from his creation with Thanksgiving. Here it comes. The presentation of the offerings at the altar takes up the gesture of Melchizedek

and commits the Creator's gifts into the hands of Christ who, in his sacrifice, get it here it is, brings to perfection all human attempts to offer sacrifices. So what I'm saying here is that during the Mass, you can offer up your suffering up to Christ during the Mass. When the patent is raised with the host, hostia means victim, Jesus, you can participate with him on the patent. Offer up your suffering.

When the priest raises that patent, say to yourself, I'm there. I'm there with you, Jesus, and he will take your suffering, and he will transform it and make it redemptive. Number eight, avoid illegitimate suffering. Do not draw attention to yourself. Matthew chapter six in the sermon on the mountain gives a great example about what not to do as far as hypocrites go and says, and when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners. that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you,

they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your father who is in secret and your father who sees in secret will reward you. In other words, on this point number eight, to avoid illegitimate suffering, don't go out there and make a big deal out of it. You don't go to work after not showering for three days,

and someone says, what's wrong with you, Larry? what's wrong with you, Susan? And you say, well, I'm just praying for the world and interceding for continents. Don't do that. No. Shower, shave, comb your hair, brush your teeth, and avoid illegitimate suffering. Do not draw attention to yourself. Number nine, think of others and offer your suffering for them. Think of others when you're suffering. And offer your suffering. And offer your suffering for them, a conscious decision to say, Father, I am offering my suffering up in union with Christ for, and you name it, that person. Now, St. John Paul II said in Salvitici Dolores that we can do this, that we have a small fragment of God's infinite redemptive suffering,

and we can apply it even to loved ones. Paul says this in 2 Corinthians 1-6. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation. And if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Isn't it something how often we hear about suffering in the New Testament and how it is a participation in Christ? You don't hear that on TV. You don't hear that from tele-evangelists. You know why? That doesn't sell. That doesn't bring the offerings in. But you know what the truth of the matter is, is that we, Jesus said, if you want to be my disciple, pick up your cross and follow me.

Imitate Christ. That's the basis of discipleship is imitate Christ. I love it. I love it. Number 10. Actively loved by doing what is right according to your vocation. actively love by doing what is right according to your vocation. In other words, if you're in the midst of suffering right now, don't cop out.

Don't cop out and say, well, I can't be a dad now. I can't be a mom now. I can't be a husband. I can't be a wife. I can't, no, no, no, you can. According to your vocation, you remain faithful. Catechism says in paragraph 1604, God who created man out of love also calls him to love the fundamental and innate vocation of every human being. For man is created in the image and

likeness of God who is himself love. Since God created him, man and woman, their mutual love becomes an image of the absolute and unfailing love with which God loves man. It is good, very good in the Creator's eyes. And this love, which God blesses, is intended to be fruitful and to be realized in the common work of watching over creation. And God bless them, and God said to them, be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it. So actively love according to your vocation. I love that.

Paul even kind of rifts on this a little bit. In 1 Corinthians 912, he says, if others share this rightful claim upon you, do not we still more? Nevertheless, we have not made use of this ripe. We endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ. We're going to endure everything. We're going to be faithful to our vocation.

Pretty good stuff. Number 11. Pray the rosary. That's right. Walk the passion of Christ with our lady. I like what St. John Paul II says. He says the rosary beats the rhythm of human life. If you want to learn how to suffer more fruitfully

and offer that suffering up with Christ, walk the passion of Christ. I just got back several weeks ago from Israel and on every trip, I'd love to have you come. We go every January and check my website out, jeffcavens.com. But we did the Via Doloroso. We walked the way of the cross,

and we were able to pray as we walk through the streets of Jerusalem. And you can do that right where you're at, right? Now you can pray the rosary. You can pray the rosary and walk the passion of Christ with our lady who was there with him. And if she was there at the foot of the cross of Jesus, don't you think she can handle being at the foot of your cross as you give that to her? And you can pray the rosary anywhere. Number 12, study the saints. That's right. You've got great role models who have suffered in many cases far more than we have. So we can study the saints. Paragraph 313 of the Catechism says that we know that in everything,

God works for good for those who love him. The constant witness of the saints confirms this truth. So you see, the saints are witnesses that God can work for the good in every situation in our life. And the saints will teach you that. So I encourage you during this time of suffering in your life right now, study the saints. Number 13, rejoice that you. you can share in the redemption of the world. That's right. Rejoice. I can share in the redemption of the world. This is so cool. First Peter 413, but rejoice in so far as you share Christ's sufferings that you may also rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed. And isn't that a truth of the New Testament that if we want to participate in the glory of God, we're going to also

participate in the sufferings of Christ. Pure and simple, that's the way it is. You can twist the gospel any way you want, but that's the gospel. So rejoice that you get to share in the redemption of the world. You get to love the way Christ loved. It might be your grandchildren. It might be your children. It might be your colleagues at work. It might be your neighbors. But you can love them by offering up your suffering. Number 14, keep an eternal perspective. Very important when you're going through suffering, keep an eternal perspective. Boy, I know this one. I got to tell you, there was a time where I went through almost a whole year of just

really difficult suffering with my neck. I ended up having my neck fused. And I went through such nerve pain in my neck and arms. Oh, I remember one night going downstairs and sitting in the family room. And to be honest with you, I just started crying. I just couldn't handle it anymore. You know, chronic pain has a way of slamming you to the turf and beating you and wants you to submit, you know. But the one thing, one of the things that, one of many that really helped me, to be honest with you, was I had to keep telling myself, there is eternity.

And this isn't going to last for eternity. This is only for a while. But I'm going to make it fruitful. Ecclesiastes 311 says, he has made it. everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's mind, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. So if you're going through suffering right now, just remember that God has put eternity in your heart. This is an eternal battle that we're facing. This is a eternal challenge, and it will be over as far as the temporal goes, but you remain

faithful. Paul said in Romans 817, it told you you're going to get scripture. He said, and if children, if we're children, then were heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided, we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. Keep an eternal perspective. And number 15, trust God for the fruit of your suffering. In other words, when you're going through the difficult times and you say, Lord, I offer up my suffering for my children, my grandchildren, whatever it might be. Trust God for the fruit of that suffering. You might not see it. You might not see it today. You might not see it this week. You might not see it this month or year. But you've got to trust God for the fruit of your suffering.

Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 26. Love the book of Hebrews. You've got to read that. Hebrews 11, 26, he considered abuse suffered for Christ, greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he looked to the reward. Consider abuse, sufferings for Christ, greater than any treasures. Trust God for the fruit of your suffering. Well, there you be, 15 things to do when you're suffering, and I'd love to hear your feedback. I'd like to know how this is of some benefit to you and what you're going through right now. Now, listen, we all suffer.

The question isn't if you're going to suffer, it's how, and specifically, well or good. And I'm reminded of what a great leader, Archbishop Fulton Sheen once said about suffering. He said, you know, one of the things we're most afraid of is dying. And the reason that we're so afraid of dying is that we never practice for it. In other words, we never offer up our lives and die daily and buffet our bodies, but we act as though death is a strange thing that we're never going to go through it and we're scared, when in fact we all will, and we have to practice for it. In the same way, suffering is something that we're all going to experience, but the question is

how are you going to face that suffering? Are you going to face it well or poorly? Listen, it's a 50-50. you might as well face it well and go through it. As I say to men at the conferences, men's conferences, be a man. Be a man. Suffer the way Christ suffered. You will experience the joy that he experienced as God's faithful son.

Wow. So that's what I have to give to you this week, and I pray that it's of some benefit. Give me an email, will you? The Jeff Kaven Show, that's the Jeff Kavan Show at ascensionpress.com. And please go to iTunes, rank the show, give me your comments. I really do welcome them. I learn from them and also take some comfort in knowing that the shows are making a difference in your life. And it helps in aggregating the show in such a way that people get the show and it's not buried down there.

So you and I can work together in that way. Let me close in prayer today and pray that God will bless you this week as you put into practice one or many of these 15 suggestions. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Lord Jesus, I thank you today. That you have invited us to work with you in your kingdom. You have invited us today, Lord, to participate in your work in ways that we would not have dreamed of, ways that we would have not chosen. But you knew what you were doing and you knew how to. transform us. You knew how to bring us to your heart and experience your love, and it is through suffering. And so, Lord, we are not afraid that we are eager to be like you. We're eager to walk like

you. We're eager to experience the fruit, and yes, the glory that you want to share with us. And so, Lord, we give you this week, and we ask you, Lord, to help us to put some or all or many of these different suggestions into practice so that we can work with you. To you be all the glory in Jesus' name. Amen. Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, my friend, you go into this week and be victorious knowing that whether you have good times or bad, we know the secret. And that is that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. God bless you.

Thank you.