25 September 2015
Burgos
He Knows Our Pain
I had a choice to make. It was to take the next 24km walk up
to San Juan de Ortega would involve a 450m climb, another Willis Tower height,
or to taxi past it to one of Europe’s oldest archeological sites with remains
dating back 900,000 years. You guessed
right. The taxi dropped me off at Atapuerca. However, the site did not open for
several hours. I learned that artifacts
of the site could be viewed in Burgos, so I moved on for a 24km walk.
All the way my rather painful knee developed into a howling
pain. I limped along, gave it rests, and
stretched for some relief. I’ve come to
believe that my body is now rebelling from all the exertion. All along this painful walk today I decided to
offer up my pains especially for those who asked me to pray for a physical
ailment from which they are suffering.
It is quite a thing to pray for yourself when you’re
suffering. It is a far richer experience to prayerfully hold the pain of others
you care deeply about who are in pain.
These are some of the challenges dear ones face that requested prayers:
cancer, dementia, chronic migraines, diabetes, surgery recovery, spinal pain,
infertility, depression, severe arthritis, kidney disease, heart condition,
back pain, and anemia. It was a list of heavy health issues that people dear to
me carry as a life burden. With each painful step and climb I held the image of
the person and their pain in my mind’s eye.
“For you, Lord. For you, Lord.”
We all have or will face health issues. I walked with that reality today. But it gave me some relief that I could join
my pain with those who are also suffering.
Why? Because He knows our pain.
The compassion of Christ was intimate with the crippled, the
lame, the deaf, the blind, the bleeding, those suffering from demon possession,
the diseased, the paralyzed, and the suffering.
I came to imagine the scripture scenes where there was someone so deeply
pained with one of these afflictions.
All other people in the scene may have been numb to their suffering, but
not Jesus. He was attentive to the
suffering and offered what the Father gave Him to share, a divine love that
spilled over into healing.
We can believe that Jesus knows our pain as well because He
embraced these pains in his ministry. Rest assured, He hears our whimpers of
pain. He feels our tears of suffering. He has touched the wounds of unthinkable
pain. The scriptures attest to these.
He fully knows our pain also because He suffered a
tormenting death as a love offering for us.
I have attached a photo of a sculpture that graphically illustrates
Christ on the cross. It was on display at the Cathedral of Santo Domingo in the
art museum there. My memory of it replayed in me in full HD color all day
during my strained walk.
I share it with you.
Take a strong and long look at the image of Christ’s physical suffering.
Take a close look at Jesus’ knees. I was
humbled to know full well that He knew my knee pain. And what about our pains
of the past? Present pains? And rest
assured, even our future pains? He knows all our pains.
Even in our suffering we can trust in His care, because He
knows.
Deacon Willie, DW
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