St. Peter Damian explains how to have hope during suffering

One of the most difficult things in life is when we experience suffering. That suffering could be anything from a chronic illness to an emotional breakdown.

We can also experience great suffering from seeing those we love suffer or even die.

It can be difficult to endure suffering, as our outlook on life can be obscured and we can begin to question God’s goodness.

What are we to do? How can we have hope?

St. Peter Damian writes about this topic in a letter that the Church provides in the Office of Readings.

He first corrects the idea that suffering is punishment from God and puts it into the context of a familial relationship, “it is not the torment of a slave. Rather it is the discipline ofa child by its parent.”

St. Peter Damian then reminds us that however painful suffering may be, it doesn’t last forever and even more consoling, God is with us:

But for God’s chosen ones there is great comfort; the torment lasts but a short time. Then God bends down, cradles the fallen figure, whispers words of consolation.

He encourages us to place our hope in God, that this suffering will lead us to Heaven, “With hope in his heart, man picks himself up and walks again toward the glory of happiness in heaven.”

To further illustrate his thoughts on suffering, St. Peter Damian lists several analogies to help us understand the purpose of suffering in this life:

Craftsmen exemplify this same practice. By hammering gold, the smith beats out the dross. The sculptor files metal to reveal a shining vein underneath. The potter’s furnace puts vessels to the test. And the fire of suffering tests the mettle of just men. The apostle James echoes this thought: Think it a great joy, dear brothers and sisters, when you stumble onto the many kinds of trials and tribulations.

Last of all, St. Peter Damian instructs us to keep our eyes forward in hope to the joy that awaits us, “In serenity look forward to the joy that follows sadness. Hope leads you to that joy and love enkindles your zeal. The well-prepared mind forgets the suffering inflicted from without and glides eagerly to what it has contemplated within itself.”

Suffering may be difficult to endure, but if we have a proper vision of life, we can trust in God and place our hope in his promises.