Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Rome, September 16, 2022
Speaker: Karen Kilby (Durham University)
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Kilby shared that her main perspective is on defeat of suffering and death, not in reconciliation with suffering and death. She sees the risk of the sacralization of suffering in some theological views, and considers that Jesus’ life and teachings are better understood from the perspective she proposes.
The Gospel of John is in itself an objection to sacralization of suffering. Jesus is lifted up in the cross, the cross is elevation and glory. Is Jesus suffering? On one side, yes: there are painful facts that affect Him. On the other side, no. He is calm; He is the true judge; He is the one who really understands what is happening, all the situation is meaningful; He masters the events, He is not lead by them, He accepts them; He is never alone. All in all, when Jesus is lifted up in the cross, suffering is already defeated.
St. Paul is also instructive on the Christian approach to suffering. For him, suffering is the cost of discipleship. The disciple does not choose suffering, but chooses to follow Christ, and this gives meaning to what happens.
With this, Kilby also showed the importance of meaning in suffering. Jesus lives the Cross as a meaningful situation, the following of Christ gives meaning to the disciple’s suffering.
This vision has implications for everyday situations. For example, when pain is integrated in relation to other goals (then, is meaningful), it is often not understood as suffering.
In the modern West, we tend to isolate ourselves from suffering, but the Cross helps us to see that this is not the way.
