The best definition of man was given by Viktor E. Frankl. In one of his articles, the Viennese neurologist and psychiatrist proposes replacing the human label “Homo sapiens” [knowing man] to the title of “Homo patiens” [suffering man]. If Descartes had read Frankl, he would have certainly remodeled his principle statement to, “I suffer, therefore I am.”
The fact is that it hurts to live. It hurts to be born. That’s why babies cry. It hurts to grow, with the all too familiar leg pains during growing stages. It hurts to move forward, meshed in labor and sweat, fevers and illnesses, separations and betrayals, losses and farewells. And as if all that weren’t enough, then it hurts to die, despite all of today’s advances in palliative medicine.
Or course, we try to ignore all that. A classic example of this occurs regularly in my lectures to Catholic groups whenever I ask the question, “Do you know St. Therese of the Child Jesus…? What does she carry in her hands?” To which I hear the invariable response, “Flowers… roses…”
Now, how come no one ever says, “A cross”? And it is a large, highly visible cross in fact. I suppose something in us feels it would rather not look at the cross…
Besides Little Teresa, many saints appear with the cross in its classic image: John of the Cross, Teresa of Avila, Gemma Galgani, Geraldo Magela, José de Anchieta and many others. Nevertheless, we resort to the intercession of the saints to free us from the cross. Not very logical it would seem…
For that matter, how could Christianity ever be seen without a cross, it being the holy tree, the very instrument of our salvation? How could one follow Christ without the cross of Calvary? A hedonistic society simply turns a deaf ear to the preaching of Paul, “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor 2.2).
Yes, the choice made by the Savior cannot be understood, just as we do not clearly understand the presence of the cross in our lives. As if the good and the righteous (as Jesus himself) does not deserve to suffer. And thus we are faced with an unfathomable mystery…
As according to the reflection of Bishop of the Algerian Sahara, Dom Claude Rault, “Suffering is one of the greatest mysteries of life. It is also mysterious to think that God Himself wanted to enter into it. Before explaining it, one must consent to enter into it, as if it were a mysterious and unexplained component of life.”
To which the Jewish Etty Hillesum adds, “I feel like a small battlefield, in which the problems, or some of the problems, of our time are being fought out. All one can hope to do is to keep oneself humbly available, to allow oneself to be a battlefield. After all, the problems must be accommodated, have somewhere to struggle, and come to rest, and we, poor little humans, must put our inner space at their service and not run away.”
Long ago I gave up on understanding my cross. I limit myself to embracing it…
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