The Jeff Cavins Show (Your Catholic Bible Study Podcast) - Practical Tips for When You Suffer

Episode Date: July 11, 2025

How do we navigate suffering in this life? Jeff tackles the challenging topic of suffering, providing 15 practical tips on how to find meaning, courage, and strength in life's trials. Snippet from the Show "When you suffer,  pray the Rosary and walk the passion of Christ with our Lady. It beats the rhythm of human life." Email us with comments or questions at [e-mail]. Text “jeffcavins” to 33-777 to subscribe and get Jeff’s shownotes delivered straight to your email! Or visit https://media.ascensionpress.com/?s=&page=2&category%5B0%5D=Ascension%20Podcasts&category%5B1%5D=The%20Jeff%20Cavins%20Show for full shownotes!

Welcome to the Jeff Kaven Show, where we talk about the Bible, discipleship, and evangelization, putting it all together and living as activated disciples. This is show 438, practical tips for when you suffer. Hello and welcome back, my friend. Good to have you. Looking forward to talking to you today about this topic that so many. people are interested in, mainly interested in avoiding, and that is suffering. But I have put together a bit of a menu for you today on some tips on how to deal with suffering in your

life and to give you some scripture. And I'm going to include it in the show notes. So this is going to be a show that is rich in content as far as the show notes go. So if you want to get on board with those right away, all you have to do is text my name, Jeff. Kavans, one word, Jeff Kavans, and you can text it to the number 3377. That's 3377. We'll get you on board. I do want to start off on a very, very sober note, and that is what is happening in the Guadalupe River down in Texas with so many people in Camp Mystic and for miles along the shore have lost their life. and our prayers are with you for all the people who are involved in this and all of the people who are the first responders. We pray for you and certainly we pray for all of the families and the extended relatives who have been impacted by this horrible event in the lives of the people

in Texas. And I know that even in my own life, I know of some people who were involved there and they just missed out or their children left earlier or they canceled this year. They didn't go and had some interesting discussions with them. But please know that our hearts are with you. We pray for you and we pray that God will comfort and he will use this somehow for the good. And that's the only way that the tragedy makes sense is that when we bring our suffering to the Lord, then it can make sense. And right away when something like this happens, it doesn't make sense. to expect people to feel as if it makes sense is a far stretch.

So we're praying for you. We love you. And I do want to talk about suffering today. And I want to give some tips on what to do when you suffer. And this might be like a, you know, just one of those shows where, wow, you needed to hear it. You just needed to hear today. What do I do with my suffering? So we're going to talk a little bit about suffering today, different kinds of suffering,

different types of suffering, and then some tips, and I'll give you the scriptures, as I said earlier. Okay, so I want to lay the foundation on suffering here by just stating this. The best reading I've ever done on this subject is Salvifici Dolores. It's a small booklet, small writing of John Paul II, and he does such an amazing job of talking about suffering and the meaning of human suffering. And so I would recommend that you get that. It's not very expensive. You can get it online, probably get it on Amazon.

Or if you do have a Catholic bookstore, try to get it through them and support the brick and mortars in your area. Important to do that. So let's start off and talk about the broad picture of suffering here. And I would say this. And I'm drawing from Pope John Paul II. Right now in your life, you might be going through one of these kinds of suffering. One kind of suffering is physical suffering, and most of us, I would say all of us, have experienced physical suffering one way or another in our life, physical suffering. But then there is another kind of suffering that John Paul II brings out in Salvifici Dolores, meaning of human suffering.

And it is beyond physical suffering. It's called moral suffering, M-O-R-A-L. And it doesn't mean moral in the sense of morality. It means moral suffering in the sense of my spiritual suffering, the suffering of my heart, my mind, emotions, the things inside that hurt deeply because of betrayal or losing someone. Like, for example, the families of those who lost their lives on the Guadalupe River in Texas are going through deep moral suffering right now. so we have physical suffering and then we have moral suffering but then we have and those are two kinds but we have two types that john paul the second saint john paul the second brings out and that is one temporal suffering only suffering in this life and then the other type is

definitive suffering and definitive suffering is to be without god forever and ever and ever and ever It's definitive suffering. It's the worst suffering known to humanity, and it doesn't have an end. It doesn't have an end. And what Jesus did is he came and he died for our sins. He entered into suffering in this realm, and it was physical. And, of course, that moral suffering of the heart, Jesus, he experienced this in his humanity, and he paid the price for us.

And so it was through suffering that he redeemed us. Now, we're going to get into some practical things that you can do, and I'll give you the scripture for it, on how you can respond to suffering. But suffice it to say this. If you want to find meaning in your suffering, then you're going to have to find it as you are attached to Jesus, in relationship to Jesus.

It was suffering that was his love expressed in this world for our souls so that we would not experience definitive suffering. And to that, we are so thankful. We are so grateful that he has paid that price for us and brought us into the family of God as adopted sons and daughters to do what? To participate in the divine life. That's amazing. And it was done through suffering.

Now, that begs the question, well, then what about my suffering? Well, does my suffering mean anything? And the answer real quickly here is, yes, it does. It means something. It means that if you are joined with Christ, all things are new. And it means you are redeemed, including, listen, including your suffering is redeemed. It's made new. It has purpose now. It has redemptive power if you are in Christ. You see, he didn't just save you from eternal damnation and say, well, I didn't have anything to do. do with your physical suffering or anything in this physical realm. No, he paid the price for you completely. All things are new now. All things are new. And so, and I've done, I've done a lot of shows on this in the past, and you can look those up on suffering, but suffice it to say this, that, that when Jesus suffered and died for our sins, he redeemed us. And so do we, we have to do anything? Well, no, but you get to. What do you mean, Jeff? Well, what I mean is that every single aspect of Jesus' messianic mission, every aspect, his priesthood, his intercessory

role as the only intercessor between God and man, his shepherding, his judgment, his being the great physician, the one who suffered for the sins of the world, the one who died for the sins of the world, all of these aspects he shares with you. Name one that he doesn't. You can't. He shares all these things with you. And that means that he's going to share his being the good shepherd in how? Well, he gives us shepherds, right? He's the physician, the healer, and he gives us the sacraments of healing, right? He's the great high priest. What does he do there? Well, he shares the priesthood with the clerical priesthood, but also the priesthood of the believers. That's the common priesthood that you and I belong to. We're not priests in the sense of the liturgical priesthood, but We share in the priesthood of Jesus. And I could go on and on. And certainly when it comes to suffering, there is a role for us to play where we get to participate. Now, this is kind of the heart of it before the break here.

This is going to be the heart of it. You've got to get this. This is what makes suffering make so much sense. And if you're going through it right now and the floods are coming right now in your life, sort of speak, in the sense of what we experienced in Texas with the floods bringing great pain and agony to people. And you may say, well, I don't live in Texas, but I'm experiencing something that is very troublesome in my life. Know this, that in your suffering, Jesus is giving you an opportunity to experience his love if you will join yourself. Offer your suffering in union with his suffering.

Now, I'll give you the scripture right here, and it is Colossians 124. You talk about a key scripture to unlock the meaning of redemptive suffering. This is it. Let me just read it to you. Colossians 124. Paul writes to the Colossians, and he says, 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.

Now, think about that for a moment. Isn't that a little strange? He says, now, first of all, I rejoice in my suffering for your sake. There was a time in my life. I wasn't on board with that, that's for sure. It says, 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.

Whoa. Hold the phone, Jack. you mean, does this mean what I think it sounds like? And that is that there's somehow some kind of lacking in Christ's affliction for the sake of his body that is the church? Well, yes, that's what he's saying. Now, St. Augustine at one point asked that question, what could be lacking in the sufferings of Christ? And he said, what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ is the suffering of the mystical body? body of Christ, the church. That's what's lacking. Yeah. That's what St. Augustine said. And then St. John Paul II was also asked the question. And he answers and he says, in Salvifici, Dolores, that great writing, he says, what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ? Nothing. But, get this, that you might come to know the love of God. Look at a crucifix. That's the love of God. That you might

know, come to know the love of God, he has made room in his suffering for you to participate. Okay. And he also says that if you do that, you can even say, I want the graces of this redemptive suffering of mine that's now joined with Jesus and now is infused with meaning and power. I want to, I want to appropriate that for this person, my daughter, my husband, my wife, my pastor, my parents, whatever it might be. This is a gold mind. This is a gold mine. And I'll tell you, when I was a non-denominational pastor for 12 years, and I ran into Colossians 124, I had no answer for people, really, other than put up with it, something

good's going to happen. But going all the way back in church teaching, the early church fathers and today in the catechism and teachings of the Catholic Church, there is meaning in your suffering. It's not wasted. You don't have to just complain, oh, me, it always happens. I eat worms, you know. No, God's given you an opportunity today, whether it's physical or moral suffering. It's not fun, but it's fruitful.

When we come back from the break, I'm going to give you some tips on what to do with this now, that we know that if we offer up our suffering and union with Christ, it's redemptive, powerful, heavenly cash, it changes lives. We understand now the love of God. We tasted it. We felt it. We've experienced it. the love of God in our own suffering joined with him.

It makes sense. You're listening to the Jeff Kaven show. Hey guys, my name's Father Mike Schmitz. I'm so excited to tell you about new cities and new dates for the parables tour. We're going to cities in both Michigan and Texas. If you're interested in getting tickets, you can go to Accenturepress.com slash Father Mike Tour for access to tickets and more information. Tickets go on sale Thursday, May 22nd.

God bless. Welcome back. We're talking about some tips today for when you suffer. And if today's one of those days that you are suffering, cha-ching, you hit the jackpot because we're going to give you, I want to give you some things to do, some practical things. Okay. So I'm going to rifle through these, but I'm also going to put them in the show notes, including the actual scripture. Okay? So you'll have them in the show notes. So if you're driving right now, just kind of put it on cruise control, take it in. and plan on putting this into practice. Number one, understand that we have been called to participate in the redemption of the world. I just gave you that scripture. Colossians 1.24, 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. And Paul also says in Romans 828, we know that in everything God works for good with those who love him. who are called according to his purpose, God will work all of this for good. That's number one, okay? Number two, entrust yourself to God. In the middle of the suffering, entrust yourself to God.

First Peter 419, Peter said, therefore let those who suffer, according to God's will do right and entrust their souls to a faithful creator. So if you're suffering today, my friend, physical, moral, entrust yourself to God. Number one, understand,

we're called to participate. Number two, entrust yourself to God. Okay. Number three, unite your will with the will of Christ through prayer. Very important to do, whether it's physical suffering or it is moral suffering. You got to unite yourself to Christ through prayer. Do you know one time just about three years ago was I broke a, I snapped a whole rib. I fell in the winter here in Minnesota, right on a piece of ice, snap the rib. There I am. I'm going to the hospital in just amazing pain and I'm standing there in the emergency room because I can't sit and all of a sudden I spoke to this guy who was also waiting to get in and found out that he was a former Catholic and I'm in pain, a lot of pain and I asked him a question and we got into about a half an hour

conversation and during that I literally literally had to say Lord I unite my will with you I unite my suffering. I unite my will. As I'm talking to this man, Lord, use this. I literally did that on the spot. So Matthew 26.39 says this. And going a little farther, he fell on his face and prayed, My father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me.

Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt. So I didn't get to talk to the guy after that. So if you're listening and you still want to talk, get a hold of me. Number four, realize that Jesus will not allow you to go through something that you can't handle. Know that. Trust him. Be confident of it. First Corinthians 1013, Paul told the Corinthians who were going through a significant amount of suffering. He said, 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 a way of escape that you may be able to endure it.

So if you think to yourself, I can't go on, I just can't do this anymore. Listen, I've been there. I've been there. Prior to my receiving a neck fusion back in 2001, I couldn't sleep for weeks. I remember one night going downstairs, Emily said, where are you going? I said, I just can't take this anymore. I'm going to go downstairs and I just sat on the couch and I just wept. I didn't know if I could take it anymore.

But I knew one thing for sure, and that is that God, God is not going to put me through more than I can handle with His grace. Number five, embrace the suffering, conscious of the fact that God's grace is available, active, and I might add, effective. Embrace the suffering. Embrace it as a mature child of God, as a war, for the king, as a disciple with purpose. Embrace the suffering.

Paul wrote to the Corinthians is his second letter. Second Corinthians 12.9, he says, but Jesus said to him something. My grace is sufficient for you, Paul. For my power is made perfect in weakness. I will all the more. I will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

You're suffering, physical, moral, embrace it. Embrace it. Grace is available. Grace is active. Grace is effective right now. Embrace it. Don't waste it. Number six, go to confession.

I'd like to throw this one in because if you focus on eliminating sin, which weakens your relationship with Jesus, you're going to be stronger. You don't want to go into a battle with a whole bunch of unconfessed sin. It's just going to weaken you. And that's what sin does. Sin wants to separate you from Jesus. Sin wants to weaken you. Wants to ultimately break the relationship that you have with God.

That's not a place to conduct a battle. Deal with it. Go to confession. 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 be for us.

Okay, number seven, participate on the patent during Mass. Offer your suffering to God. So first, I got to explain what that is. If you've been to Mass and you know that the priest is going to take that what looks like a round piece of bread with no leaven, it's a host. He's going to put that on the patent. That's that gold plate. And then the wine goes into the chalice, probably made of gold.

gold as well. And then the two are going to be lifted up to the father. And it's in that presentation of the offerings. It's the offatory there. Then something's going to take place. When those, that host and that wine is lifted up, it is an offering and that's where you need to be. Jump onto that patent. Get yourself there. Get you some grace. Get there. Say, I'm with you. I'm here. It was Bishop Bruskowitz out in, uh, Nebraska, who said one time, he said, we call this the great exchange. We bring bread, he exchanges it for his body. We bring wine. He exchanges it for his blood. We bring our suffering. It exchanges it for grace that can be applied to other people. Get yourself on the patent.

Catechism says this in paragraph 1350, the presentation of the offerings, the offeratory, then sometimes in procession the bread and the wine are brought to the altar. They will be offered by the priest in the name of Christ in the Eucharist, 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. And then it goes on and says, 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, brings to perfection all human attempts to offer sacrifices. Eudius. Number eight, avoid illegitimate suffering. Do not draw attention to yourself. You know who made this real to me one day? when I was working at EWTN doing Life on the Rock and Mother Angelica shows, it was Alice von Hilderban, Dr. Alice von Hilderbrand. And she said to me one time, she said,

My husband always told me, do not enter into illegitimate suffering. In other words, don't bring the suffering on yourself. Do not draw attention to yourself. Now, Matthew writes about this on the sermon on the Mount, Matthew 6 versus 5 and 6. Again, all this is going to be in the notes for you. It's a cornycopia of notes this week. Matthew 6.5, 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, pray to your father who is in secret, and your father who sees in secret will reward you. In other words, my friend, do not put a gloomy face on and don't have your clothes torn and you're limping along and someone says, what's wrong? I'm just offering up all the things in my life. No, go into the private place and meet with a father. Number nine, think of others and offer your suffering for them.

And if I was being very forceful here, I'd say, stop being self-centered. Stop being selfish. Think of others and offer your suffering for them. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, 2nd Corinthians 1-6, and he said, If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort in salvation. And if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. In other words, Paul is saying, if we suffer, it's for you.

If we're comforted, it's for you. So both the suffering and the blessings that come about as a result of embracing the cross are for other people. So think of others and offer your suffering for them. Number 10. Number 10. Okay. Actively love by doing what is right according to your vocation. According to your vocation, do what is right.

So are you married? You got children? All right. do right, right, do right, actively loved by doing right according to your vocation. You're a father, you're a husband, then act like it, right? If you're going to suffer, you suffer for that. And you remain a consistent, faithful father, mother. You're a priest, there's no timeouts, is there?

You're a priest according to the order of Melchizedek. You offer that suffering up for those people, that bride that Christ has given you. so that's important and you can look up by the way in the catechism in paragraph 1604 that's what I would draw your attention to and I'll put it in the show notes for you 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. In Hebrew, that's better known as Poooooo, Ravu, be fruitful and multiplied. So, there, that's what I wanted to give you today. He just wanted to share some things to do in the midst of your suffering, whatever you might be going through. And let me just pause and say this. You know, suffering, what is severe to one person may not be severe to another.

Suffering is very subjective. What has really thrown you may not throw your brother, your parents, parents, people at work, but what they're going through might not throw you, but you need to be kind and understanding and reasonable and merciful when other people say, how are you doing? You go to the doctor and the doctor say, I'm going to scale a 1 to 10, how's your pain? I said, well, it's an 8. Well, he doesn't say, no, it's not. Well, you ask me.

I'm saying it's an 8. No, it couldn't be an 8. he has to hear me it's an eight to me it's an eight might be a three to him but it's an eight to me and so let me wrap this up by saying something that the writer of ecclesiast he said solomon he said in chapter three in verse 11 he has made 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 I want you to remember to keep an eternal perspective when it comes to suffering. Keep an eternal perspective.

This isn't the end here. This is the playing field. This is where we are living life. So let me throw in a couple bonus. Can I do that? Let me look at the clock here. Yeah. Let me throw in a couple extra.

Number one, pray the rosary. walk the passion of Christ with our lady. It beats the rhythm of human life. You can pray the rosary anywhere. And number two, study the saints. See how they did it. You know, we know that in everything God works for good for those who love them,

the constant witness of the saints confirms this truth. It really does. What the catechism says. Paragraph 313. I didn't make it up. I got that one from the catechism for you. And then keep an eternal perspective. Trust God for the fruit of your suffering, okay? Trust him. Let's pray together for you, and then let's you and I pray for the people in Texas, shall we? In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Lord, I lift up my,

my dear friend to you right now. Lord, it's what they're going through in their life right now. I join with them in prayer. I help to carry the cross. We lift up all of us together. we lift up those who are struggling, those who are suffering physically and morally. We lift them up. We hold up their arms and we ask you, Lord, to sustain them, to bless them, feed them, to encourage them, and allow them to see the beauty of your love on the cross. May they embrace you, I pray. Lord, all of us, we lift up the families, our brothers and sisters in the church in that area of Texas and Guadalupe River.

we lift them up to you right now oh god lavish them with your love lavish them lord with your companionship your shepherding heart your merciful heart lord wrap your arms around them we pray those family members may your will be done may your will be done may they know they're not alone we're going to keep them in our prayers lord because they're our brothers they are our sisters we thank you for the first speak to their hearts as well. Reveal yourself to them. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, my friend, I love you. I'm glad I could take some time this week just to kind of jump into the midst of your suffering and maybe offer up a few things. Do me a favor. Share the show with some friends

that might need to hear this today. Just maybe a couple. That would be great. And love to hear from you in the comments and go ahead and like the show and be a part of making this available to others more readily. Love you. God bless. Look forward to talking to you next week.