When Suffering Meets Christ

Caravaggio The Raising of Lazarus

Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) is a legal practice in Canada that allows physicians or nurse practitioners to end a patient’s life at that patient’s request. Supporters often describe it as a compassionate response to suffering. Yet within the Christian tradition, MAiD raises profound questions about the meaning of suffering, the dignity of the human person, and the nature of authentic compassion. This reflection considers those concerns in light of the Christian understanding of suffering, hope, and the presence of Christ. Suffering confronts every human life, and in moments of fear or loneliness, people can be tempted by voices that promise escape rather than accompaniment. The Christian tradition insists that real compassion never abandons the suffering person, never treats despair as mercy, and never replaces hope with resignation. Instead, it invites us to see suffering through the lens of Christ, who enters it with us and transforms it from within.

- - - You’re human, and I’m human — though some might argue otherwise, especially those seemingly thrive on attacking the humanity of others.

As John Cleese wryly observed, the woke (i.e., politically correct) are eager for the next opportunity to delight in taking offense. The spread of relativism - which undergirds wokeness - will persist until the Lord Jesus returns, its forms shifting with each generation. Today one expression goes by the name wokeness; tomorrow another cultural contagion with another nifty name will arise and attempt to replace truth, responsibility, and reason. Whatever the label, the underlying temptation remains the same: to trade reality for ideology. When someone is suffering, the pain can feel endless. In such moments, certain voices and movements prey upon the vulnerable, promoting bleak notions such as medical assistance in dying. For the Christian, suffering can open into a deeper joy. Suffering is unavoidable, but when a person invites Jesus into that suffering, Jesus inhabits it and transforms it. What once seemed narrow becomes spacious: an encounter with the Love Who never abandons, and Who does not offer cheap solutions that can lead to eternal negative costs. It is normal to fear the possibility of prolonged physical pain. Every suffering person needs the steadfast compassion of someone who refuses to abandon them. Ultimately, Christian hope is not found in escaping suffering but in discovering that Christ enters it with us. He does not offer despair disguised as dignity, nor murderous extinction disguised as mercy. Jesus offers Himself — the Love who transforms suffering into a doorway to deeper joy, and Who never ceases to call each person into life.

O Lord Jesus, please help me. Grant me the grace to endure these present trials. Truly I love thee, my Lord and God; in thee do I place all my trust. I know thou art with me; thou art my constant companion. Thou hast redeemed me, and thou knowest my heart full well. I offer unto thee my wounds as a dwelling place for thee. Grant that I may reside in thy wounds and rest in thee. Amen.