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INFIRMITY: CURSE OR BLESSING? (a reflection written by Willy Effinger)
One cannot be oblivious to those thoughts. Whether you are affected by old age yourself or deal with an elderly or infirm family member, you will face such questions – and you must also learn to deal with them. I see far too many elderly people giving up; others display bitterness over their situation because “old age is for the birds” and can by no means be overcome.
This might be true in the physical sense, but there is a dimension of our lives known as faith! At the beginning of article 1506, in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, we read, “Christ invites His disciples to follow Him by taking up their cross in their turn. By following Him they acquire a new outlook on illness and the sick. Jesus associates them with His own life of poverty and service.” Very often, illness provokes a search for God and a return to Him. Thus, our suffering, “a consequence of original sin, acquires a new meaning; it becomes a participation in the saving work of Jesus.” (an excerpt from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, article 1521)
We have also read in the lives of the Saints who have gone before us, accounts of a more peaceful, more joyful, outlook in the eve of life. Saint Faustina, for instance, suffered indescribable pain from the invisible stigmata in the convent, as evidenced in the following entries of “Divine Mercy in My Soul”: “The sufferings of the Lord pierced my soul and body in an invisible manner. The pain is enormous, though it lasts a very short time.” (Diary entry #976) “For quite a long while, I felt pain in my hands, feet and side. Then I saw a certain sinner who, profiting from my sufferings, drew near to the Lord. All this for starving souls that they may not die of starvation.” (Diary entry #1468) She also suffered from tuberculosis, which slowly consumed her from the inside out. In her writings, we find the following: “I complained to the Lord one evening that I was suffering so much … He would say, Consider My sufferings before Pilate.” (Diary entry #149) “I was awakened by suffering. It was such great suffering that it prevented me from making even the slightest movement; I could not even swallow my saliva … I resigned myself completely to the will of God and thought that the day of my death, so much desired, had come. It was an occasion for me to unite myself with Jesus, suffering on the Cross.” (Diary entry #696) “No medicine had any effect on me, and whatever I swallowed I threw up. At times, the pain caused me to lose consciousness … He Himself allowed these sufferings in order to offer reparation to God for the souls murdered in the wombs of wicked mothers.” (Diary entry #1276) It is clear that Saint Faustina, like all other Saints, had clearly found the solution of suffering with grace: Total submission to God’s Holy Will, coupled with total trust and an indescribable love for God This can only be accomplished in true humility, the foundation of our spiritual building called Eternal Life.
Saint Paul also complained to the Lord about his pain and suffering: “Three times I pleaded with the Lord that it might leave me, but He has answered me: ‘My grace is enough for you.’” (2Cor12:8) The Lord’s words were enough to make a difference in Saint Paul’s attitude. Has it made a difference to our attitudes? Let us strive to make the best of this earthly life by throwing away our old habits and ungodly ways of thinking; let us adopt a life of humble submission to the Will of God. Let us recall the words of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane: “Father, if You are willing, take this cup away from Me. Nevertheless, let Your will be done, not mine.” (Luke 22:42)
So, if we are ridiculed, or if people say that our suffering is nothing or if they add to the cup which feels like it is already overflowing, let us learn to say with Jesus: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” In this way, we can become part of this vast Ocean of Mercy that upholds the sinful world in which we live. Our previous beloved Holy Father, Pope John Paul II (God rest his soul), has shown the world how graciously one can survive this Ocean of Pain and successfully turn it into an Ocean of Mercy. He has shown us that suffering is actually a gift, a grace from the Almighty God for the salvation of our own soul and countless other souls. Can you just imagine the outcome if all sufferers would jump into this Ocean of Mercy, this unexplored, untapped source of God’s mercy?
I believe that one could only stand in wonder before the world in change, for nothing would be impossible with God’s help! Evil would turn into good as all the suffering is united with the ultimate sacrifice on Calvary, offered joyfully to the Almighty Father in Heaven. Darkness would fall away from this world and the Sun of Justice would shine on everyone. We would literally see the Father’s glory shining upon mankind. Then, we would not have to imagine it but really feel the truth, to be called by name as children of the living God! Herein lies the answer to all the questions I raised at the outset of this reflection. By offering all we are and all we experience in submission and in total trust, we will be inundated by God’s grace in His Ocean of Mercy. Then, there will be no need to ponder any more questions!
I thank God that He has allowed me to minister to the elderly and infirm. Hopefully, I can make a little difference in this world by fulfilling His call to become “merciful as the Heavenly Father is merciful”, so that His Kingdom may reign in us NOW and on the whole earth SOON!
May God the Father bless you abundantly with His peace, truth and strength.
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