If you’ve ever seen Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, you know it can be a difficult movie to get through. I’ve only seen it once, but one scene in particular left a lasting impression on my heart and mind. Jesus is about to be scourged by the soldiers, and before the first whip cracks, He prays to His Heavenly Father with the words of Psalm 57: “My heart is ready, O God; my heart is ready.”
These words, placed on Jesus’ lips in this moment, beautifully summarize His attitude of total surrender in the face of suffering. It was the will of His Heavenly Father that Jesus should be “crushed…in infirmity,” as foretold by the prophet Isaiah in our first reading. And Jesus willingly surrendered to this. He didn’t rebel in the face of His suffering, nor did He merely resign Himself to it. Rather, He was pleased to bear our guilt and give His life as an offering for our sins. “My heart is ready, O God; my heart is ready.”
The question for us is: What is the attitude of our hearts when we face suffering? Is it rebellion? Is it resignation? Or is it total surrender? Most of us rebel when we first encounter suffering. We say things like, “This is unfair. This wasn’t supposed to happen. I can’t stand this. I don’t want to feel this way. I refuse to accept this.”
Now, as Christians, we aren’t called to passively accept every suffering that comes our way, nor are we called to seek out suffering for its own sake. Jesus isn’t a sadist. He doesn’t say, “Go and get the largest cross you can find, pick it up, and follow Me.” Instead, He says, “Pick up your cross”—the cross that’s right in front of you, the one staring you in the face—“and follow Me.”
That being said, there is much suffering in life that we simply can’t avoid. And even if we could avoid it, our attempts to do so might cause even more suffering. This includes the suffering of the past, which is no longer in our power to change, the suffering of the present, which is beyond our control, and the suffering of the future, which looms on the horizon but hasn’t yet come. This is the suffering we rebel against—the suffering we just can’t shake off. Yet our rebellion often ends up causing more pain than if we had simply accepted it in the first place.
But even if we don’t outright rebel, the attitude of resignation—though a step in the right direction—is still not the attitude of Christ. When we resign ourselves to suffering, we say things like, “This is just how it is. I guess I have to live with it. I know others have it worse, so whatever. I should probably just grin and bear it.” If rebellion means rejecting the cross, resignation means dragging it behind us, making as much fuss as possible along the way. Resignation is not a Christian virtue. It may be virtuous for an atheist, but for the Christian, it cuts off the possibility of joy in suffering. It neither rejects the suffering nor embraces it—it’s committed to making the whole experience as miserable as possible for both oneself and others.
The attitude we are called to have in the face of unavoidable suffering is surrender. This is the attitude of Christ. When we surrender ourselves to suffering, we make the words of Jesus our own: “My heart is ready, O God; my heart is ready.” And if our surrender is total, we can even dare to say the next words of the psalm: “I will sing, sing Your praise.”
Suffering that we rebel against is the most painful. Suffering we resign ourselves to is only slightly less miserable. But suffering we surrender to opens the door to peace and joy. We see this in the lives of the saints, who, despite suffering greatly, radiated peace and joy. Just think of Mother Teresa or St. John Paul II. Suffering that is surrendered to becomes a powerful witness to the truth of the Gospel—the truth that if we unite our sufferings with Jesus and accept them willingly, the peace that surpasses all understanding will guard our hearts and minds.
So, what is the attitude of our hearts in the face of suffering? Is it rebellion? Is it resignation? Or is it total surrender? If we turn away from rebellion and resignation and choose surrender, we will find ourselves cooperating with Jesus not only in the salvation of our souls but in the salvation of many others. As we heard in our first reading, “If he gives his life as an offering for sin…the will of the Lord shall be accomplished through him.” And the will of the Lord is the salvation of souls.
Let’s not miss the opportunities we are given this week. Let’s not miss the opportunities to surrender to the unavoidable sufferings we will face in one form or another. Let’s not miss the opportunities to cooperate with Christ in His work of salvation. Let’s not miss the opportunities to bring peace and joy to a world filled with division and despair. May the words of Jesus be ours this week: “My heart is ready, O God; my heart is ready. I will sing, sing Your praise.” Amen.
