Saint John Henry Newman on Suffering
By: Joe Burkas
Saint John Henry Newman was one of the greatest intellectuals of the 19th century. A convert from Anglicanism, Newman had read himself into the Catholic faith. Throughout his life Newman almost died of sickness in a foreign country, had a midlife crisis by realizing the church of his childhood was not the one where he belonged, and had his well-respected reputation slandered by his peers after his conversion. Let’s just say, Newman was no stranger to suffering. In his sermon, Bodily Suffering, Newman takes one of the world’s greatest mysteries, suffering, and sheds light upon why our loving God allows such bone-chilling experiences.
Why Did Christ Suffer?
Comprehending our human nature only becomes possible when we examine it through a scope in which a loving God exists. With that being said, in order to understand why we suffer, we must understand why God suffered on the cross. We’re created in God’s image. So, we must look at his image of suffering to understand our own.
Newman begins his sermon by saying Christ “came by blood...as a combatant with Sin and Satan”(Newman, Bodily Suffering). There is something mystical about suffering that threatens sin and the prince of sin. Christ is God. He could have conquered sin any way he pleased. Nevertheless, he chose suffering as his strategy for victory of sin. Newman writes, “He fought with all the hosts of evil, and conquered by suffering”(Newman, Bodily Suffering). So, why is suffering Christ’s weapon of choice against Satan and sin?
Why is Suffering Christ’s Weapon of Choice?
Well, Newman calls suffering “mysterious”(Newman, Bodily Suffering) for a reason. The short answer is, we know a little about why He used suffering. But, we can’t know everything. So, we just have to focus on what Christ reveals to us through revelation. Christ reveals to us the way of the cross as the path to heaven. Newman calls Christ’s “work of blood our salvation” (Newman, Bodily Suffering). Jesus was very clear when he said, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). Think about why the devil fell. It was pride. The devil refused to serve human beings because he thought he was too great of a creation to serve such lowly creatures. The devil could not handle the humiliation of God’s mission for him to serve. The devil could not choose the road of suffering. So, when we choose the road of suffering, the devil cannot follow us down it. Satan has already rejected that path. The cross is Satan’s failure looking him in the face and condemning him to the fires of hell. Only the path of suffering and humility can lead us to the heavenly kingdom-the kingdom where Satan has no reign. Carrying your cross is like a self exorcism. By picking up the cross, we choose the way Satan could never choose. This is why Christ uses suffering and self denial as the strongest weapon against Satan and sin.
Following Christ’s Footsteps
If we are truly followers of Jesus, then we must walk in His footsteps. If you’ve read the Gospels, you’ve read that Jesus’s feet stop walking at Golgotha. It is at this point that they are nailed to a cross. We, as followers of Christ, should expect to “receive on ourselves some drops of the sacred agony which bedewed His garments” on the cross and be “sprinkled with the sorrows which He bore in expiation of our sins” (Newman, Bodily Suffering). If we are to truly stay close to our Lord, then we will surely share in His suffering just as the Apostles did. Many of His Apostles, Christ’s closest followers, shared in his martyrdom-some even on a cross.
On this point, Newman makes a world-changing claim in his commentary. To approach our Lord, he says, is to partake in his suffering (Newman, Bodily Suffering). To approach is relative. One can approach from feet away or a mile away. So, every step towards Christ, Newman says, is to suffer. To become a Christian is to suffer. To grow in your Christian faith is to suffer. If sin is destroyed and salvation is purchased through suffering, then it would follow that to come closer to salvation is to suffer more. But the good news of the Gospel illuminates the joy within the suffering! The temporary nature of pain can never conquer the eternity of joy and fulfillment in heaven!
Now, Newman is not making an absolute claim here. He doesn’t say people will suffer “in the case of every individual who believes in” Jesus (Newman, Bodily Suffering). Although, he does say all will die. And dying probably hurts a little bit. But, Newman does say it will be Jesus’s most choice instruments and His most active servants...who had been most like Him” (Newman, Bodily Suffering) who will suffer the most. If you are following Christ with all your heart and mind, all your suffering is a gift for Christ. The story of Christ has illuminated the meaning of suffering from “punishment to privilege”(Newman, Bodily Suffering). If you have suffered greatly, unite it to Christ’s suffering on the cross. And remember, in your suffering, you’re not being punished. You’re being called. The road to salvation hurts. Nevertheless, all “that pain and trouble, borne in faith and patience, will be accounted as marks of Christ, grace-tokens from the absent Saviour and will be accepted and rewarded for His sake at the last day” (Newman, Bodily Suffering).
Keep the faith. Stay strong in hope. Keep carrying that cross. You are building a treasure in heaven and Christ is with you always.
