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| S. Janet praying with community |
My morning prayer contains the
words, “Dear God, I offer you my prayers, joys, works and sufferings of this
day …”
I can point to my prayers, joys and
works but…, my sufferings?? Do I suffer? Well, I do admit to having some pain
every day, so I know that’s suffering. But that’s as far as the awareness of my
suffering has been going.
As I meditated, I began to realize
that feelings such as hurt, frustration, disappointment, anger or grief can be
types of suffering, too. If my friend and I disagree to the point of not
speaking to one another for a while... or if I feel rejected because I was left
out … or if my sister finds it hard to forgive me for unintentionally losing
her favorite book…those feelings could result in suffering of another kind. I
suppose suffering happens on a minor scale, when I skin my knee from a fall.
I think I am getting the picture. Originally,
I’d been thinking more of the heavy suffering that affects victims of violence,
hunger, immigration abuse and a lack of basic human rights. Yes, that is
suffering without a doubt.
All these insights help me to be in
solidarity with others who suffer so much. Yes, dear God, “I offer you my
prayers, joys, works and sufferings of this day …”
Janet Thielges, OSB
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