Suffering With Joy

The Question of Suffering – Expiating Public and National Sins

September 13, 2010

This is the first in a series of articles on expiating public and national sins through redemptive suffering.  I am not writing on this subject to depress people, but to inspire readers to give joyfully to God all the pain in life that comes your way in imitation of our Savior on the cross for the sake of others less blessed. Also, I want to share understanding I’ve gleaned from spiritual reading and sacred scripture on the problem of suffering.

Why does God permit natural disasters such as the earthquake in Haiti, hurricanes Katrina and Ike, the tsunami in Indonesia, the floods in Pakistan, etc?

Why are evil dictators allowed to remain in office, killing their own people?

Why all the endless massive suffering in the world?

Why must innocent people suffer along with the wicked?

Why must I suffer?

These questions are reasonable for any thinking person to ask, and for the prayerful Christian, questions that must be asked.

Crucifixion c. 1648, Giulio Carpioni, oil on canvas, Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice

Christians know that Christ, the Son of God, came to earth to suffer and die so that the gates of heaven would once again be opened to man after the fall of Adam and Eve.And because we all have the tendency to sin, we all have the need to repent, and we all must suffer in this life, imitating Christ, because of our own sins and the sins of others. He was innocent; we are not. Christ’s sufferings were sufficient to redeem every person created, but while God presents all of us with the opportunity to take advantage of Christ’s sacrifice, not everyone will accept it.

Sin has consequences we cannot escape. This world is full of pain and anguish and will continue so until the end of time because of original sin.  Nobody escapes.

Redemptive suffering is the offering we make to God of our suffering for the conversion of others and for expiation of all sins. It’s not that Christ did not suffer enough, but that because He suffered and commanded us to follow in His footsteps we must, in joy (because God loves a cheerful giver), suffer in unity with Him. St. Paul puts it this way in Col. 1:24:  I rejoice now in the sufferings I bear for your sake; and what is lacking of the sufferings of Christ I fill up in my flesh for His body, which is the Church.”

Jesus Himself said, Whoever does not carry his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple (Lk. 23:26).

Lately I’ve been pondering one of the surprising (to me) reasons why we must suffer and offer it up cheerfully.  The many news articles on various subjects I’ve been reading lately give plain examples of how public and national sins affect everyone.

In 1935 Franciscan Herald Press published the book, Why Must I Suffer? - A Book of Light and Consolation by Father F. J. Remler, C.M.  Shortly after I was diagnosed with severe fibromyalgia and a number of other health issues I read this book, now in print again through Loreto Publications. Among the fifteen reasons Father Remler listed as to why we must suffer is to expiate public and national sins.

He writes on page 9:

As a member of society and a citizen of your country, you must unite with the rest in making the atonement and reparation which Divine Justice requires for the public and national sins committed in the community in which you live.

By public and national sins we understand certain sins of a graver nature which are committed on so large a scale and by so many persons in a community, be it a city, or a province, or an entire nation, that they are attributed to the community as a body and not merely to this or that individual.

Among the public sins he listed are:

• Irreligion and forgetfulness of God
• Godless education of the young
• Profanation of God’s Holy Name
• Cursing, blasphemy and perjury
• Desecration of the Lord’s Day
• Immodest and scandalous fashions
• Dishonesty, injustice and oppression of the poor
• Murder and genocide
• Immoral art, literature and amusements
• Adultery sanctioned by state laws
• Wild orgies of gross immorality and unrestrained license which periodically disgrace public festivities and celebrations, or occur in connection with balls, dances, banquets and the like.

In 1935 abortion was not discussed publicly nor was it legalized, but today abortion and euthanasia should be added to the list along with waging unjust wars.

Technology has made it possible to sin as a nation through actions of our legislatures and lobbyists, and in this regard I am thinking specifically of companies such as Monsanto who have devised a diabolical scheme to force dangerous genetically modified foods on the world, and of market manipulation by Wall Street and finance companies. We should also note the harmful drugs and vaccines approved by the FDA and deals cut by the government with pharmaceutical companies to forbid lawsuits by those who are injured by them.

What others would you list as public and national sins under Father Remler’s definition?

On p. 11 he remarks:

Public and national sins must be expiated in this world for the very simple reason that they cannot be expiated in the next. In the world to come families, cities, provinces and nations will have no continued corporate existence.  There, men and women will exist merely as individuals, without being united by those social, civil, political and national bonds which are necessary in this life for the welfare and preservation of the human race.  In eternity, they will individually enjoy the fruits of their life on earth – the good will possess the kingdom of God in heaven, while the wicked shall suffer for their evil deeds in the unquenchable fires of hell.  But as public sins require public expiation, and this expiation cannot be made in this next life, it is clear that it must be made on this side of the grave.

OK, so a certain amount of suffering in this world is something we have to live with because of corporate/national/public sin.  Moreover, what do we do about it other than bear the consequences?  Will our suffering in imitation of Christ mitigate the consequences of these sins?

Come back tomorrow for the next article in the series and the beginning of the answers to the questions I’ve posed.  Father Remler’s book is available in Barb’s Custom Shop.  Just click on the link on the sidebar and it will take you there.

For the sins of His own nation

Saw Him hang in desolation

Till His spirit forth He sent.

(verse, Stabat Mater attributed to Jacapone da Todi, c.1230-1306, follower of St. Francis of Assisi, 1181-1226)

V.  Praised be Jesus Christ!

R.  Now and forever.  Amen.

(Click on the link above to read why I am ending my posts with this.)

Tags: suffering

7 Comments to The Question of Suffering – Expiating Public and National Sins

1. 

   Barb,
   I agree! I still offer up all my sufferings though they have lessened physically. Though I may not completely understand its value I have seen how powerful it is and know God uses it for our own good and the good of others. Because we are part of the Mystical Body of Christ sin affects the entire Body not just an individual. Thankfully, reparation also affects the entire body therefore we should all do what we can.
Mary Nicewarner on September 13th, 2010
2. 

   Mary, one thing that came to my mind considering this subject of suffering for public and national sins is that we must love all people on earth as much as Jesus loves them. If Jesus died for all of us, in imitation of Him we must also be ready to die for all. Our offering to Him, freely and lovingly given may not be accepted by Him because He has other plans for us, but we must be ready if He does. The great Jesuit of the late 20th century, Father John Hardon, prayed every day in front of the Blessed Sacrament that God would allow him to be a martyr. He died of bone cancer, a terribly painful death.
barb on September 14th, 2010
3. 

   Barb,
   Don’t they it a “dry martyrdom” or something like that?

   I left you an award on my site
Mary Nicewarner on September 14th, 2010
4. 

   Yes, it is called a dry martyrdom. Thanks for the award. I am so glad to have you as a friend.
barb on September 14th, 2010
5. 

   Can “national” sins truly be expiated? I know many evangelicals have promoted things such as racial reconciliation, in which, for example, a group of whites will apologize to blacks for slavery and segregation. While such gestures are doubtless based on wonderful intentions, I feel they are more symbol than substance, and besides, does my being white make me guilty of an injustice committed by certain whites many years ago? And how can you truly repent for someone else? It seems that those who committed the offense are the ones who bear the responsibility and will have to account for what they did.

   It seems to me that all we can do is work to change injustices or persuade people to repent of their sins, but how can I do anything to atone for what someone else has done? If they won’t repent, there’s nothing I can do.

   By the way, I’m not actually trying to argue; it’s just that I’m not sure I follow what Fr. Remler is saying. Your thoughts?
Evan on September 19th, 2010
6. 

   Evan, we can’t apologize for others, but we can suffer to expiate the sins our country or our society. Yes, individuals are at the root of all sin, having given themselves over to Satan’s wishes, but individuals gather together to make government policies which are sinful because they are based on any of the seven deadly sins. Suffering and offering up these sufferings for national sin expiates it.

   Also, Dr. Takashi Nagai got it right when he told the Catholics of Nagasaki that God had taken the lives of so many of them to expiate the sins of the emperor and the militaristic regime that had been in force for many years. Their deaths and the suffering of the living who survived the bomb was atonement for national sins. The innocent suffer along with the guilty in these cases. He pointed out that at the hour the bomb dropped the emperor made the decision to surrender unconditionally. I think this is one of the mysteries of faith. If we know this, we can offer up expiation for the nation and even ameliorate the suffering.

   In the old testament God allowed the Israelites to suffer for the national sins of worshiping false gods. The nation also suffered because of the sins and policies of their kings who turned away from Him. I think you would find Father Remler’s book very interesting because it gives fifteen different reasons why we must suffer, and he has more than what I posted here on expiating national sins.
barb on September 19th, 2010
7. 

   Barb,
   I’ll be sure to read your other posts about this. I’ve read that Abraham Lincoln remarked that he believed the Civil War was the nation’s punishment for the sin of slavery. Perhaps so. Can our sufferings actually expiate our country’s sins? That apparently was the case for Old Testament Israel, but they were God’s special covenant people, whereas no nation-state on earth today can claim that. But maybe our sufferings have an effect, though I try to be careful about claiming to see the hand of God in world events. He alone knows, and He hasn’t made me privy to His plans!

   But this is certainly food for thought. Thanks for posting these! Have a blessed week.

   Evan
Evan on September 19th, 2010