Our sorrows and redemption

There’s a beautiful prayer worth considering by all of us in the memorial Mass for Our Lady of Sorrows, September 15. It’s called a Sequence, and is prayed between the Responsorial Psalm and the Gospel.

Part of it reads: “Can the human heart refrain from partaking in her pain, in that Mother’s pain untold?... / O Sweet Mother…make me feel as you have felt…/ Let me share with you his pain…/ Let me mingle tears with you… / let me share your grief divine…”

When I read it in my dialect (Cebuano), I was even more moved. The mother tongue expresses finer nuances of meaning and feelings often lost when translated into English or any other language, no matter how far richer they are to the vernacular.

It seems to me, imho (in my humble opinion), that English is more a language for practical purposes, for doing business and efficiency in work. The dialect tastes more of the heart, and lends itself easily to prayer. In a certain sense, it has more sublimity.

Thus, it’s always worthwhile to retain and enrich our knowledge of our native tongue even as we improve our English… In any event, the whole celebration of Our Lady of Sorrows again brings to our mind the phenomenon of our suffering, pains and sorrows in life. What’s distinctive of this celebration is that it reminds us that all these worldly sorrows have a religious foundation, have a relation to God.

Our predicament today is that our attitude towards this unavoidable element in our life is taken out of its fundamental context of faith and religion. We just look at it in a purely human and natural way. We just look for the human and natural causes as well as for their human and natural solutions or remedies.

I think this is wrong, or at least, is quite handicapped. We would not be fathoming enough the enormity and richness of the nature and purpose of our sorrows in life if we fail to bring in the basic inputs of our Christian faith.

Thus, we often exaggerate or worsen our sufferings, as we fail to know their ultimate whys and wherefores. Thus, we often would not know how to suffer them, since we merely rely on our physical, emotional or psychological stamina, or some external material resources like drugs. The spiritual and supernatural way is not resorted to.

Worse, we often don’t realize that our pains and sorrows in life, irrespective of their causes and effects, are a rich material for our final redemption. In fact, many people’s idea of redemption is strictly earth and time-bound. Nothing spiritual or supernatural about it! Hardly any reference to our sin is done.

It would be good if we adapt the attitude of our Lady of Sorrows towards our problems in life. Certainly, meditating on the passion and death of Christ in a regular way would help a lot in developing that attitude.

That attitude brings our understanding and experience of sorrow to another level—deeper, more comprehensive, more integrated. For example, it helps us mediate the complicated interplay of the requirements of truth and freedom, and of charity, patience, mercy on the one hand, and as strict a justice on the other, etc.

The other day, I was both amused and a bit bothered when I got into a conversation with some priests. The talk turned political, what with election time coming. I can’t help but notice some leaky arguments made, and rash judgments propped up only by simplistic suspicions spewed.

No matter how much I tried to understand them, I couldn’t help but suspend my judgments about certain issues taken up, simply because I could not find enough basis for a concrete decision. I kept quiet most of the time.

When I said, “I’ll pray over the matter,” they veritably laughed and told me to get real, and that the time for praying is over. “Now is the time to act!” they said.

Wow! No wonder we often end up fighting like cats and dogs, making a lot of noise and accomplishing nothing. I’ve seen this animal many times before, and, frankly, I have no intention of having a repeat.

I think the core problem is some people’s allergy to appreciate the nature, meaning and purpose of our human suffering here on earth, and of how to bear it and take advantage of it to gain a higher good. There’s just braggadocio galore!

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