By REV. LUNA DINGAYAN
www.nordis.net

“My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? I have cried desperately for help, but still it does not come.” — Psalms 22:1

Responses to questions of Cathryn Taylor of Australia
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3. What do you believe the life of Jesus tells us about God’s relationship to suffering?

God was with us in Jesus of Nazareth. His life and death had shown to us how God deals with suffering. Jesus wept with those who wept. He was compassionate with those who suffer most in society – the poor, the sick, the sinners, and outcasts. Thus, he spent his life giving hope to the poor, healing to the sick, forgiveness to the sinners, and inclusion to the outcasts. And he himself experienced unspeakable suffering in the process.

Perhaps, there is nothing even more tragic than for this innocent man from Nazareth who spent his life in proclaiming the Reign of God in words and in deeds, to be falsely accused of claiming to be the “King of the Jews,” tortured and crucified by the same people whom he served and gave his life.

But God has turned this tragedy into blessing. By his life and death, we have seen glimpses of hope for this broken world. In the words of Prophet Isaiah, “By his wounds, we are healed” (Is. 53:5). Jesus’ suffering is vicarious and redemptive, because it is a suffering for the sake of others. By raising Jesus from death, God is saying to us that the life Jesus lived is the kind of life that gives hope and salvation to this darkened world, even though the “evil forces of this dark age” claimed that Jesus’ life was evil and deserved to be crucified.

The sufferings experienced by Filipinos working abroad today would reflect Jesus’ suffering. They leave their families behind to look for greener pastures in the concrete jungles of the world in order to provide a brighter future for their children. Some are successful, but many are not. They suffered a lot for the sake of their families and for the country’s economy. Their suffering is also vicarious and redemptive, indeed; for it is suffering for the sake of others.

4. Do people who suffer have a special understanding of who God is? Do you see this in your work or in your relationships with people who have suffered in a particular way?

Theology must be contextual in order to be relevant and meaningful. One of the basic ingredients of theological construction is human experience. Certainly, people who suffer will have a particular understanding of who God is. Interestingly, the various theologies in the Bible are viewed from the perspective of a people who suffered in the hands of ancient empires.

However, people who suffer don’t necessarily have the same views of God. There are least three kinds of suffering people exhibiting three different theologies. Firstly, there are people who suffer but do not struggle at all. They have already accepted that their suffering is their own fate determined by their God. They cannot do anything about it anymore. This kind of theology is prevalent among the poor.

Secondly, there are those who suffer and therefore they struggle. They believe they can do something by their own knowledge and strength to end their suffering. They are self-made people. They would say God help those who help themselves. We can find this kind of theology among middle class people.

And thirdly, there are those who struggle, and therefore they suffer. They believe that suffering is a necessary component of struggle. They are deeply conscious of the root causes of poverty, and are militantly doing something to transform not only their own individual lives but the life of the whole community. They do suffer because there are forces of evil in society that are against genuine transformation. They believe however that God struggles and suffers with them. They view their suffering as vicarious and redemptive. # nordis.net

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