Sorrow and the Real Presence of Jesus

Let the day perish wherein I was born,
and the night in which it was said: A man child is conceived.


Let that day be turned into darkness,
let not God regard it from above, and let not the light shine upon it. (Job 3:3,4.)

My days have passed more swiftly
than the web is cut by the weaver, and are consumed without any hope.
Remember that my life is but wind,
and my eyes shall not return to see good things. (Id. 6:6,7.)

Behold there is no help for me in myself,
and my familiar friends also are departed from me.
He that taketh away mercy from his friend, forsaketh the fear of the Lord.
My brethren have passed by me,
as the torrent that passeth swiftly in the valleys. (Id. 6:12-15.)

Psalm 42

Judge me, O God, and distinguish my cause from the nation that is not holy:
deliver me from the unjust and deceitful man.

For thou art God my strength: why hast thou cast me off?
and why do I go sorrowful whilst the enemy afflicteth me?

Send forth thy light and thy truth:
they have conducted me, and brought me unto thy holy hill, and into thy tabernacles.

And I will go in to the altar of God: to God who giveth joy to my youth.

To thee, O God my God, I will give praise upon the harp: why art thou sad, O my soul? and why dost thou disquiet me?

Hope in God, for I will still give praise to him:
the salvation of my countenance, and my God.

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Suffering can be frightfully overwhelming and consuming. We are frightened, we are alone, we feel that our sorrow will have no end. At times it is our constant companion and we find no escape. There are so many occasions to cause us suffering. Our own faults and weaknesses by which we offend God and those we love. Sickness, unemployment, infidelity and betrayal, death of a loved one ... the list is truly endless and we can never go for very long in this life without a good measure of sorrow.

Even our earthly joys often contain the seed of dreadful suffering. The joy we receive from a relationship with a dear friend will some day end. You will one day be separated by sickness, death or countless other ways. Anyone who has a tender heart has suffered this most cruel hardship by which we are separated from that very person who was a cause for so much joy. Today, broken families cause incalculable grief to so many. Perhaps there is a falling out with a dear friend. This can be filled with exquisite regret as we remember how we failed our friend or how they failed us. All the good, all the joy we experienced before seems poisoned and we suffer great disillusionment, the sting of rebuke or indifference along with the heartache of separation.

Can there be anything more sad than a mother losing her child? Occasionally, even routine day to day living can exact the most crushing heartache, what can we say about a mother's broken heart? Where can she go for consolation? "A voice has been heard in Rama, weeping, and great lamentation: Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not." (Jeremiah 31:15; Matthew 2:18.)

Why is it that we must endure so much suffering? Truly it is a mystery. We are stunned at the many crosses that Jesus lays across our backs, and wonder: Why must this be? We wonder how much more we will endure. What will be the straw that breaks the camel's back? Yet, faith tells us there is a purpose. One of the wonderful things about the Catholic Faith is that we know that suffering has a purpose and it is not meaningless: far from it! There is strength in weakness! There is joy in sorrow!

Our Lord uses the weak and despised to bring about His victory! St. Paul tells in in Colossians 1:24:

"I fill up the things that are lacking to the sufferings of
Christ in my flesh, for His body, which is the Church."

What? What could be lacking to the sufferings of Christ? Nothing really in the sense that the redemptive suffering of Christ was sufficient to redeem 10,000 worlds. What our suffering does do is to make us participants in our salvation and the salvation of others. As holy mother Church teaches us, we need to cooperate by patiently bearing the trials that God sends us, because in order to gain heaven, we must become Christ-like. In a very real sense our acceptance of suffering removes obstacles to our becoming like Jesus and gaining merit for ourselves. By our suffering, we can give a great gift to our neighbor: we gain for them through Christ many graces. We give joy to the angels by our suffering done well for others, since as Jesus tells us, heaven rejoices over the conversion of even one sinner. (Luke 15:7.)

This is all well and good, but when we are overwhelmed by sorrow, how can we suffer well? It is all we can do to just keep going. Naturally speaking, sorrow and sadness are destructive to our being. They sap the life-energy right out of us. But supernaturally, Jesus uses what the world despises - suffering, and through it transforms sadness into joy. St. Peter Julian Eymard, the great apostle of the Eucharist, tells us that we receive our consolation and strength in the reception of Holy Communion. According to Eymard, we receive spiritual joy to combat our feelings of sorrow every time we receive Holy Communion with devotion and in the state of grace. In fact, he tells us that we usually receive the joy that comes with forgiveness from the Sacrament of Penance when we next receive Communion. Jesus gives us reprieve and a rest from our broken heart for a while when we receive Holy Communion. He also gives us strength to endure trials after the glow fades until that time when His consolation comes to us again.

The Eucharist is the key to enduring our sadness. It gives us strength and comfort. Not only does it lessen that burden of sadness, it gives us greater merit and graces for ourselves and those for whom we pray. We should visit Jesus in the Holy Eucharist outside of Mass too. If we can find a perpetual adoration chapel, we gain great comfort for spending time in His presence. Even if we are so distraught that we cannot pray, just being in the presence of Christ is a great blessing, and will result in our comfort if we persevere:

But you are in a state of temptation and of sadness; everything rebels in you; everything induces you to leave your adoration under the pretext that you are offending God, and that you are dishonoring rather than serving him. Do not listen to that insidious temptation; you adore him by resisting, by being loyal to him against yourself. No, no, you are not displeasing him. You are bringing joy to the Master who is looking on and who permitted Satan to upset you. He expects you to honor him by remaining with Him to the last minute of the time you were to devote to him. (St. Peter Julian Eymard, The Eymard Library - Adoration in Spirit and in Truth).

Take courage in your suffering. There are those of us who pray for you and share your sorrow and are carrying their crosses right beside you. The Blessed Virgin Mary, who watched her most innocent dear Son die on the Cross knows your sorrow. She shares your burden. She walks by your side. She loves you, and though you do not see it, she carries you in her arms, caresses you and comforts you. Look up, you are her son! You are her daughter! She is there to wipe away your tears. She loves you more than you can know.

Spend time with her Son. Receive Him and embrace Him in Holy Communion and pray in His presence when you can. You will see, He will comfort you and give you strength. Jesus will tell you: "Your sorrow My son, your tears My daughter, they are the seeds of great joy. Good things are coming to you. You must suffer your Good Friday to experience your Easter." God bless you!