the reality of human suffering

8/13/2019 The Reality of Human Suffering

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Signs of Times

1. What are the pressing

issues/problems our country is

facing today?2. What do these problems tell

us about the condition of our

country?3. As a Christian what can you

say about this condition?


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What is the most predominant

form of suffering in the

Philippines?

What is suffering?

Why do we suffer?

Why does God allow us to

suffer?


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This happens as we know at

different moments in life, it takesplace in different ways, assumes

different dimensionsnevertheless in what ever form,

suffering seems to be almost

inseparable from mans earthly

existence.


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The Reality of human suffering

Why do people suffer? Why does Godallow suffering?

- These are wrong questions, or we

address the question to the wrongperson

- We question God. Suffering does not

come from God. It is from the world thatsuffering comes to us. God allows

sufferings but He does not will it.


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- Man suffers on account of evil

which is lack, limitation or distortionof good.

- He suffers when he a oughtin the

normal order of things- to have a

share in this good and does not have

it (Salvifici Doloris) To answer: Why do we suffer? JPII

look at the book of Job (see Job 38-

40


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Questions for Discussion

1. What forms of suffering did Job experience?

2. How did his friends tried to explain his

suffering?

3. How did Job learn from his whole

experience of human suffering?

4. If you were Job, what would you think and

feel when you experience all those sufferings?

Why?


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Story of Job

- A just man, without any fault of his own is

tried by innumerable sufferings

He loses his possessions, his sons, and

daughters, and finally he himself is afflicted by

a grave sickness

-In this horrible situation 3 old acquaintances

come to his house.


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And each one in his own way tries to convince

him that since he has been struck down by

such varied and terrible sufferings, he must

have done something seriously wrong. For

suffering they sayalways strikes a man as

punishment for a crime; it is sent by theabsolutely just God and finds its reason in the

order of justice.


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It can be said that Jobsold friends wish

not only convince him of the moral

justice of evil but in a certain sense they

attempt to justify to themselves the

moral meaning of suffering

Sufferings appear as justified evil,

suffering as punishment for sin, Those

who plough iniquity, and sow troublereap the same (Salvifici Doloris)


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Why do bad things happen to good

people?

Job challenges the truth of the principle that

identifies suffering with punsihment for sin

(his opinion) he is aware that he has not

desreved such punishment and he speaks of

the good that he has done during his life.

God himself, reproves Jobs friends for their

accusations and recognizes that Job is notguilty.


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His suffering is the suffering of someone

who is innocent and it must be acceptedas a mystery which the individual is

unable to penetrate completely by his

own intelligence(Salvifici Doloris) It is true that suffering has a meaning as

punishment when it is connected with a

fault but it is not true that all suffering isa consequence of a fault and has the

nature of a punishment.


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How do Christians View Human Suffering?(what

is a mature Christian attitude toward God

amidst our suffering?)

-Our Holy Father in his apostolic letter,Salvifici Doloris on the Chrisitan meaning

of human suffering addressed thisquestion

In the passion of Jesus something new

has been added to uur understanding ofsuffering

-It has been linked to love


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- Because of the passion of Jesus there is anew situation for all human suffering just as

job was able to say in his sufferings..I knowthat my redeemer lives.

Therefore, when we suffer, we can also

become sharers in the redemptive sufferingof Christ.

When we share the sufferings with Christ, wesuffer for the kingdom and grow in virtue and

complete..Christs afflictions..for the sake ofthe Church.


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How should we respond to suffering?

1. By worshipping God

2. By examining our hearts (..whether you are

in the faith)

3. By offering our sufferings to God

4. By giving thanks (..this is Gods will for you

in Christ Jesus)

5. By rejoicing that we have been counted

worthy to suffer for Christ.


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6. By looking to Christ example, who suffered

for us, to demonstrate to us both the

magnitude of our sin, the greater magnitudeof his infinite love for us.

7. By looking to Christ return and the life to

come


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Following the example of Job,

that the right attitude to Godis trust and teaches us that

before God, who is the Lord ofthe earth, we are of little

account


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Who am I?

Casting Crowns

Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth

Would care to know my name

Would care to feel my hurt Who am I, that the Bright and Morning Star

Would choose to light the way

For my ever wandering heart


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Not because of who I am

But because of what You;vedone

Not because of what Ive done

But because of who You are

I am a flower quickly fading

Here today and gone tomorrow

A wave tossed in the ocean

Vapor in the wind

Still you hear me when Im falling

Lord you catch me when Im falling

And Youve told me who I am


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I am Yours, I am Yours

Who am I, that the eyes that see my sin Would look on me with love and watch

me rise again

Who am I, that the voice that calmed

the sea

Would call out through the rain

And calm the storm in me


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Still You hear me when Imcalling

Lord, You catch me when Imfalling

And Youvetold me who I am

I am Yours

Not because of who I am

But because of what Youvedone But because of who You are


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I am a flower quickly fading

Here today and gone tomorrow A wave tossed in the ocean

Vapor in the wind Still, You hear me when Imcalling

Lord, You catch me when Imfalling

And Youvetold me who I am

I am Yours


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I am Yours

Whom shall I fear Whom shall I fear

Cause I am Yours

I am Yours


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Trusting in Gods love

How do Christians view human

suffering?

What is the right attitude to wardGod when we are confronted with

pains and afflictions?


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Footprints in the Sand

To Last night I had a dream. I

dreamed I was walking along the

beach with the Lord. Across the skyflashed scenes from my life. For each

scene, I noticed 2 sets of footprints

in the sand one belonged to me, theother to the Lord.


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After the last scene of my life

flashed before me, I looked backat the footprints in the sand. I

noticed that at many times alongthe path of my life, especially at

the very lowest and saddest

times, there was only one set offootprints.


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This really troubled me so I asked the

Lord about it, Lord you said once I

decided to follow you, Youd walk

with me all the way. But I noticedthat during the saddest and most

troublesome times of my life, there

was only one set of footprints. Idont understand why when I

needed You the most, You would


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Questions for Discussion

1. What is the message of the

story?

2. what does it tell us about

suffering or the lowest point in

our lives?


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Gods Message

- Christ promised that he will bewith us always, especially when

we are at the lowest point in ourlives. It tells us to trust God, that

He will never abandon us

especially at the most difficultpart in our lives


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Jesus offered liberation

-God acts upon the suffering of His

people by sending his Son Jesus Christ.

-God is not a God who is just up abovewatching over us but a God who wants

to be with us.. God sent his son to be one

like us and suffer with us to bring us toGods kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.


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- Jesus frees us from enslaving sins to bring us

to holistic liberation Freedom from

Enslaving sinsfreedom for holistic liberation

The Call of chrisitans

-Read and analyze the story of the

Transfiguaration on p. 12

What is the instruction to listen means on pp.

12-13?


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1. First, it is an order

2. Second, it means to be attentive and alert

to what is being revealed.

REFLECTION

Journal Writing

An experience of God is very basic if one is to

deepen his/her faith in God.

*Recall an experience/event in your life. What

was the effect of this experience in your life?


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Reflecting on our Social Responsibilty

What is Social Responsibilty?

-It is an obligation of an individual or a

group of people to act to benefit themembers of the society at large. It is a

duty every person or organization has to

perform to maintain and sustain abalance between the economy and the

ecosystem.


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Stress the ff. points pp.14- 18

- The common Filipino reasons for helping

others:

1. Reward and punishment

2. Pity

3. Moral Obligation

4. Christian Faith - Social Responsibility for them is a response

to Christ who calls us to follow him


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Christian Faith includes Social

Responsibilty

What is the link between faith and work forSocial Justice?

-Our faith and love of God gives meaning to

our working with peace and justice. * the Life of Bobby Gana

- what do you find to be the most striking in

his life? - How was his faith connected to his work for

the poor?


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The link between faith and Social

Responsibilty

*Reason and MeaningOur love for

God flows out to desiring to love our

neighbours

- An experience of faith is an experience

of being loved by god through Christ.

- this love has the power to move us tolove others in return.


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* Norm

- Jesus is our norm, our moral standard

-We look upon Jesus as our example. Wefollow him and the way he served others too.

* Power

- If we are called to serve others and work forpeace and justice, Jesus gives us the grace tobe able to do so. He sends us the Holy Spirit,for without the grace of God we will not beable to sustain our work for the coming of thekingdom here on earth.

the reality of human suffering

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