Pain Relief

Enduring some pain for sake of spiritual benefits

06/30/2018

Matthew 8:5-17 When Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully." He said to him, "I will come and cure him." The centurion said in reply, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come here,' and he comes; and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it." When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, "Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith." And Jesus said to the centurion, "You may go; as you have believed, let it be done for you." And at that very hour his servant was healed. Jesus entered the house of Peter, and saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. He touched her hand, the fever left her, and she rose and waited on him.  When it was evening, they brought him many who were possessed by demons, and he drove out the spirits by a word and cured all the sick, to fulfill what had been said by Isaiah the prophet: He took away our infirmities and bore our diseases.

The most natural thing in the world is that sooner or later you will get hurt and feel some pain. Perhaps you will fall off your bike and break a leg, or be in a car accident, or someone will slander your reputation, or someone you love will fall sick or die. Pain is a part of life. And what’s also very normal and natural is we try to alleviate or avoid the pain. Archbishop Fulton Sheen recalled when he had a toothache as a little boy he would always run to his grandmother never to his mother. His mother would take him to the dentist, who often inflicted more pain, but his grandmother rubbed some soothing oil on the tooth and gums and the pain subsided, at least momentarily. A multi-billion dollar prescription drug industry flourishes in the United States to help Americans manage their pain. But in the end, we just want someone to make the pain go away, like Fulton Sheen’s grandmother did for him.

The pursuit of pain relief is not an exclusively American predicament; the first century Jews also sought pain relief. Matthew recounts the numerous times Jesus healed people, and soothed their pain: the Roman Centurion’s servant, Peter’s mother-in-law, many possessed by demons and others who were sick. But what I find curious is not so much what Jesus did, but what he did not do. Surely there must have been millions of people throughout the world at the same time suffering untold maladies and disorders and he could have healed them with a snap of his sacred fingers. But Jesus did not do that. Jesus’ behavior was not like that of Fulton Sheen’s grandmother, but rather like that of his mother. In other words, like a wise mother that knows a little pain is necessary to heal a bigger problem (like cavities), so Jesus allows some physical pain so that we might be healed spiritually (like from sin). Indeed, our prayer life is never more passionate or purposeful than when we are in pain.

Please don’t misunderstand me or jump to conclusions that I’m advocating inflicting pain or enduring pain for the heck of it. God wants us to be happy and healed and whole, and he does not want to see us suffer. But sometimes a little pain and discomfort can have a higher purpose. Consider a few examples. Enduring a little hunger pain can help you lose weight because you avoid eating unhealthy snacks. Occasionally, not taking a pain reliever at the first hint of a headache allows the body to adjust naturally to discomfort and overcome it. We can also endure pain for the sake of others. Catholic parents used to advise their children who underwent unpleasant experiences, “Offer it up!” If I stub my toe at the end of the bed while making my bed in the morning, I exclaim, “Praised be Jesus Christ!” instead of an obscene expletive. St. Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei, often urged his followers to make little unnoticed sacrifice, like sitting up straight in their chair instead of slouching. It’s good for the body and the soul! There is nothing more natural than seeking pain relief, but enduring a little pain can also prove more healthy for the body and the soul.

M. Scott Peck opened his best-selling book called The Road Less Traveled with these daring lines: “Life is difficult. This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths. It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it. Once we truly know that life is difficult – once we truly understand it and accept it – then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters.” In other words, approach pain like your mother might, not like your grandmother might (no offense to grandmothers).

Praised be Jesus Christ!