September 11, 2006
Q: Who are the most powerful people in the Church?
A: Those who suffer most for Christ.
We hear Saint Paul telling the Colossians today that he “fills up in his own flesh what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ, for the sake of His body, the Church” (1:24). This is an appropriate keynote word for the beginning of this week when we celebrate the Triumph of the Cross (Thursday) and the Stigmata of Saint Francis (Sunday).
When I celebrate Mass for people in nursing homes or speak with other shut-ins, I often remind them that they are the most powerful people in the Church. After all, Christ did more for us and the rest of the world during His 3 hours fastened to the Cross than during His 3 years of public ministry.
Of course Saint Paul wasn’t saying that Jesus’ offering wasn’t enough to win our redemption. The Catechism and Pope John Paul II’s encyclical on suffering offer a lot of insight into this ongoing openness for our participation in Christ’s redemptive offering. The Church in every age suffers in her members and also receives the graces won “for the sake of His body, the Church.”
Saint Paul not only offers his sufferings in prison for the Colossians whom he has ministered to, but also “for all who have not seen me face to face” (2:1). He has a strong sense that his hard work for the Mystical body of Christ goes far beyond what he sees or has seen. It is important to be reminded of this in our age when doing penance or suffering for others is looked upon as psychologically unbalanced or even offensive to God who “just wants us to be happy.” Indeed Saint Paul says “I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake” ( 1:24). Some would say he is imprisoned in an emotionally confused world of unconscious self-hatred. We say that he has been liberated by the most powerful force in the world, a real, unselfish love that rejoices in offering oneself for the beloved, even for the beloved whom he has never seen. Whatever our sufferings are this day, may we offer them with Christ, “that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love” (2:2).
Fr. Richard Roemer, CFR
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