Our Suffering vs His Suffering

Last night, I ached, thinking of my neighbor whose recent outpatient surgery had him in great pain and discomfort. I felt helpless in spite of my prayers for his healing.

My mind turned quickly to other times when the suffering of others made me heartsick - another neighbor with a leaky heart artery, my deceased sister in her final days, a dear friend in her final weeks, my dear mother in her final hours.

I expanded that ache to the recent Japanese disaster victims.

And then my heart ached even more when I realized that our dear Lord Jesus felt like that for us, each one of us, and for the whole world.

If my heart aches so badly at these times, how he must have suffered for us. He knew, too, that in spite of all he endured, we would still sin. He knew he could not interfere with our free will.

He, unlike us, could have packed up and gone home, at any time. Yet, to put it in today's words, he toughed it out, he went the distance. Why?

For us. For me.

Sweet Jesus, forgive me for all the times I've taken your loving suffering for granted.