Many nights of strong rains and deep thunder gave me a nostalgia for rainstorms. The heavens are coming down, but my slumber went undisturbed. There is a relaxing quality to the sounds of the fiery tempest. My condolences to those who experience fear while my reaction is peace. I see the streak of lighting, the flash of light, and I knew God would begin his orchestra.
Lighting is a fascinating phenomenon. Ben Franklin was not the first nor the last person to venture out into the chaos of the storm out of curiosity. The origination of lightning is due to the rising static electricity in the heavens. The electricity then creates a path from high up in the atmosphere to the ground on the Earth. The energy among the clouds build and build until it is released in a faster than sound bolt of lighting. This process vibrates the air molecules in a sound we call thunder. This process can also serve as an analogy for mercy in our lives.
One of my favorite bible quotes (one of many of course) is 2 Corinthians 1:3-7:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are abundant for us, so also our consolation is abundant through Christ. If we are being afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation; if we are being consoled, it is for your consolation, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we are also suffering. Our hope for you is unshaken; for we know that as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our consolation. – NRSVCE
This bible passage is a beautiful response to why God permits suffering in the world. It is good to remind ourselves that God’s original plan was for man and woman to dwell in the Garden of Eden with no suffering or worries. However, the Fall dramatically changed that original beginning. We live in a world of suffering and to claim we do not is the height of folly. Or, as the Princess Bride quote goes, “Life is Pain! Anyone who says differently is selling something.” Now, we live in a world of brokenness and God is striving with all of His Might to put us back together. For reasons only God knows, the Average Catholic (and all humans) have been chosen by God to be His hands and feet.
We who have been baptized and confirmed in the Catholic Church have been given the task to spread the Gospel. Every mass ends with an apostolic mission, “The mass has ended Go Forth and proclaim the Gospel with the light of your life.” We are a part of Christ’s Body. We are the infantry in the army of God. We are on the front lines seeing the sufferings of the world first hand. Yes, we may ask “Why won’t God stop this suffering that I am seeing or feeling?” With reverence, He may have chosen YOU to bring about His kingdom either through the suffering or despite the suffering.
Let us return to the lightning metaphor. We have God in heaven and we have suffering on Earth. God has sent Jesus down to Earth and Jesus returned to heaven after his suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension. Of course, Jesus cannot be fully man and expect to live on earth beyond the natural lifespan of a human. Jesus was the Word of God. Jesus gave us an example to follow so that we may love others as He has loved us. Jesus established the circuit that connected Earth to Heaven and heaven to Earth. It is our mission to keep this circuit flowing.
The static electricity builds amongst the water molecules in the air. Our static electricity is the suffering in our own lives. More importantly, it is us redeeming our sufferings so that we may grow in love, compassion, and mercy. Anecdotally, there is a correlation between those who offer the a patient mercy and there who have experienced deep suffering. Someone who grew up in a racist neighborhood would be much more sensitive to race issues than those who grew up in a segregated community. A person who was abused by their spouse will be quicker to respond to women in crisis. A person who survived a fire will most likely enforce fire safety with greater urgency.
The life on Earth is filled with suffering. There are those who experience more than their fair share, and there are those who escape the brunt of it. Regardless, we must learn to take our sufferings and redeem it with Christ Love. We are able to channel God’s mercy, because we first asked for the mercy of God for ourselves. The sufferings in our lives build and build and build and build until God’s Mercy courses through our mind, body, and soul. Humbly, we may even say God deserves all of the credit. As Jose Escriva said, “It is God’s work, I just get in the way.”
Our suffering is not meant to be forever. Pay attention to the sufferings in your past. Pay attention to your reactions in the world. God did not intend for you to suffer, but He does intend for you to spread love and healing through your witness. Give yourself permission to be the channel that takes the lighting from heaven and brings it to Earth. See hungry Homeless people? Make them food. Concerned about gang violence? Create opportunities for kids to have wholesome fun and community. Want to reconcile with your family? Be the first one to start the dialogue.
Just like lightning, we may not have enough static electricity to make a charge. Take some time to reflect on your past and even your present. Is there something in your memories where you haven’t let God heal you? Is there a time in your past that haunts you? When you walk around tomorrow, what breaks your heart or incites anger? Any confusion as to what God wants to do with you stems from a like of knowledge of ourselves or of God. It is a good practice to walk with God through memory lane and ask God to reveal Himself to you through your memories.
We are tasked to be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:48) Take a moment to really let that bible quote sink in. We are called to be perfect as God is perfect. We have already been confirmed and baptized into God’s body. It is about time that His body (which now involves us) gets to work. If we do it well, then we will have the love of God coursing through us in our actions, words, and deeds. Be the light of Christ. Even better, be the LIGHTNING OF CHRIST!
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