RESPONDING TO SUFFERING… THE JESUS WAY
INTRODUCTORY RITES
Gather as a family/ community; create an environment appropriate for prayer (dress appropriately - switch off your phones...).
We are conscious that Christ is present not only in the Blessed Sacrament but also in the Scriptures and in our hearts. Even when we are on our own, we remain part of the Body of Christ.
Place lighted candles, a crucifix, and the Bible on a covered table. These remind us of the sacredness of our time of prayer and could help us feel connected with our local worshipping communities.
You may sing or play an appropriate hymn. For instance:
The Sign of the Cross
Greeting and Introductory Words
L: The Lord invites us to the table of his Word: let us bless him for his goodness.
A: Blessed be God forever.
L: Our world is full of suffering and pain; many are in distress. The readings remind us that we are not alone: in Jesus, God shows us that he commits himself against suffering and death, for Jesus healed people and overcame death. We, Jesus’ disciples, have to follow in his footsteps and bring healing to one another and to our world. We ask Jesus to give us that insight and commitment.
Penitential Rite
L: For the times we have not reached out to those suffering, we ask the Lord’s pardon.
Pause
L: Lord Jesus, you bore our sickness and endured our suffering:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, people brought the sick to you and you cured many:
Christ, have mercy.
A: Christ, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you heal the broken-hearted and bind their wounds:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins,
and bring us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
Gloria
Opening Prayer
L: O God,
you sent your Son into our afflicted world
to proclaim the day of salvation.
Heal the broken-hearted,
bind up our wounds.
Bring us health of body and spirit
and raise us to new life in your service.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
A: Amen.
THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
Readings
The readings are those assigned for the day in the Lectionary.
Preferably use a Bible/ Lectionary for reading.
Reading 1 Job 7:1-4, 6-7
Psalm Psalm 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6
Response Praise the Lord, who heals the broken-hearted.
Reading 2 1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23
Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia.
Christ took away our infirmities
and bore our diseases.
Gospel Mark 1:29-39
Reflection on the Readings
Use one of the following ways to reflect on the readings.
Lectio Divina
Imagine you are in the house of Simon and Andrew. You witness Jesus cure Simon’s mother-in-law and the “many who were sick with various diseases”. What are your thoughts and feelings?
Sunday Snippets
Leonard Sweet writes: “I visited an eight-year-old girl dying of cancer. Her body was disfigured by the disease and its treatment. She was in constant pain. I was overcome by her suffering: unjust, unfair, unreasonable” (cf. Postmodern Pilgrims).
We can identify with Sweet’s experience. Suffering—our own or of others—overwhelms us, and we often ask “why?”
The Book of Job (today’s reading is his soliloquy on human suffering) raises this question. Job is beset by immense suffering: he has lost his family and his possessions; he has terrible sores. What has Job done to deserve this fate? His friends think he has sinned. But he is righteous and innocent; he has not sinned.
Job never receives an answer to the “why” of his suffering. Perhaps, there is no answer to this question!
But there is a response to suffering… the response of Jesus.
When Jesus is confronted with suffering, he does not answer the question; he responds to the suffering person: he grasped Simon’s mother-in-law’s hand and helped her up; he “cured many who were sick”… In fact, the incarnation is God’s response to suffering: his comforting-caring presence amid our suffering world.
We are called to continue Jesus’ response. Often, the “why” is not an intellectual question; it is a cry for empathy. So, when confronted by suffering, we need to reach out:
- by grasping the suffering person by the hand;
- by allowing him/her to feel what his/she is feeling and express those feelings (like Job did!);
- by not giving false explanations or false hopes, or denying the reality/extent of the suffering;
- by helping them find moments of solitude;
- and above all, by an empathetic and silent presence.
Sweet continues: “Even more overpowering was the presence of her grandmother lying beside her embracing this inhuman suffering… she never spoke while I was there. She was holding and participating in suffering that she could not relieve, and somehow her silent presence was relieving it.”
I do not have an answer to why people suffer. I can seldom do anything to relieve their suffering. But I can respond to their suffering!
Will I give them my presence and help them up? Will I give them space to feel their feelings and to express them? Will I care for them?
Questions to Ponder
Reflect on some (or all) of the following questions:
Reading 1: Do I feel like Job, at least sometimes? How do I respond to suffering? How does suffering affect my faith in God?
Reading 2: What drove Paul to say he would do anything for the sake of the gospel? Is there a passion that drives me to the things I do?
Gospel: Jesus spends time with people who are suffering. How do I respond to those who are suffering?
Am I comfortable with suffering? Why/ Why not?
The Creed
Prayer of the Faithful
L: As people who have experienced suffering, let us bring the needs and pains of people before God whose Son suffered and died, and pray: Lord, hear our prayer.
R: For the Church: that we may be instruments of healing, relieve the suffering of those burdened with illness or frailty, and offer support and solace, we pray…
R: For our leaders: that God may help them develop policies that honour the dignity of each person and promote the greatest good for our society, we pray…
R: For all in health care ministry: that God may work through them to bring healing and strength to all who seek their assistance, we pray…
R: For all who are ill: that the Spirit of Christ may renew the gift of life within them and bring healing to their mind, body, and spirit, we pray…
R: For all who echo Job’s cry: that the Spirit of God will bring light to their darkness and hope to their hearts, we pray…
R: For ourselves: that we may zealously announce the Good News that there is meaning, purpose, and value in every life because of Christ, we pray…
L: Lord our God, suffering will always remain a scandal or at least a mystery. We will never understand it fully, but we know that it is meaningful and saving. May we learn to bear our pains with Christ, who is Lord forever and ever.
A: Amen.
SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
The Lord’s Prayer
Spiritual Communion
A: Jesus, I know and believe in your real presence in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. It is you I desire to love and receive above all things. As I am unable to receive your sacramental presence now, come and be with me in heart and soul. Let my entire self be united with you as I welcome you again and know your loving embrace. Amen.
Post Spiritual Communion Reflection
Lord,
whole towns flocked to you
to be healed.
In our day, we, too, come to find you.
Months of misery;
endless nights, endless days;
restless hearts, troubled minds.
Our world suffers.
We are plagued with unrest,
our climate is in crisis, jobs are gone,
the virus is upon the world.
O Lord, heal us too.
Take our hand, and help us up.
Let us take your good news
to all our sisters and brothers everywhere.
CONCLUDING RITE
Concluding Prayer
L: Compassionate and loving God,
when Jesus healed those who were ill,
he revealed you
as a God of life and happiness.
Fill us with his tender love and concern,
that we too may follow him
in bringing his healing power
to all those who suffer.
Through Christ our Lord.
A: Amen.
Blessing
L: The Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and lead us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
L: Go in the peace of Christ.
A: Thanks be to God.
Conclude with a hymn. For instance:
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