#suffering

I had to wonder what sadistic pleasure and entertainment human suffering must provide to the divine game players who decided the fate of their pawns in a board game they made of life. ↗

— Clyde Dsouza

#life-lessons #life-philosophy #memories-with-maya #suffering-of-humanity #transhumanism

Sometimes it takes great suffering to pierce the soul and open it up to greatness ↗

— Jocelyn Murray

#greatness #loss #love #pain #soul

One day, when I thought I was alone, I prayed in church. While making this offering before the cross, a parishioner came up to me, put her arm around my shoulder and prayed, ‘Dear God, please heal Father Jim. And give me his cancer.’ I was incredulous. I looked at her, and then back to the Lord and quietly prayed, ‘If she insists, Lord, hear our prayer!’ Later I was able to pray, ‘Lord, rather than give my cancer to her, give her heart of love to me – the love that prompted her to deny her very self and pray in such a loving way. ↗

— Jim Willig

#catholic #catholic-author #suffering #love

Most of our suffering comes from resisting what is already here, particularly our feelings. All any feeling wants is to be welcomed, touched, allowed. It wants attention. It wants kindness. If you treated your feelings with as much love as you treated your dog or your cat or your child, you'd feel as if you were living in heaven every day of your sweet life. ↗

— Geneen Roth

#suffering #women #life

God uses chronic pain and weakness, along with other afflictions, as his chisel for sculpting our lives. Felt weakness deepens dependence on Christ for strength each day. The weaker we feel, the harder we lean. And the harder we lean, the stronger we grow spiritually, even while our bodies waste away. To live with your ‘thorn’ uncomplainingly — that is, sweet, patient, and free in heart to love and help others, even though every day you feel weak — is true sanctification. It is true healing for the spirit. It is a supreme victory of grace. ↗

— J.I. Packer

#love

...it was inevitable I loved you - we were soul mates - for the same reason, we were fated to suffer... ↗

— John Geddes

#soul-mates #suffering #love

And St. Francis said: 'My dear son, be patient, because the weaknesses of the body are given to us in this world by God for the salvation of the soul. So they are of great merit when they are borne patiently. ↗

— St. Francis of Assisi

#patience #suffering #salvation

If happy I can be I will, if suffer I must I can. ↗

— William Faulkner

#happiness #optimism #suffering #optimism

There are times when we suffer innocently at other people’s hands. When that occurs, we are victims of injustice. But that injustice happens on a horizontal plane. No one ever suffers injustice on the vertical plane. That is, no one ever suffers unjustly in terms of his or her relationship with God. As long as we bear the guilt of sin, we cannot protest that God is unjust in allowing us to suffer. ↗

— R.C. Sproul

#god #gospel #justice #suffering #injustice

Most of us tend to belittle all suffering except our own," said Mary. "I think it's fear. We don't want to come too near in case we're sucked in and have to share it. ↗

— Elizabeth Goudge

#fear #suffering #empathy