About
By Fr. Thomas Kuffel
Nike, the shoe company, not the ancient Greek goddess, famously said, "Just Do It." But why is the company called "Nike," and what does the word mean? Nikê is the Greek goddess of victory in war – and life. Battles bring victory, and she brought victory to Zeus, supporting him in his wars. Taking note, Nike became the shoe company that brings victory to athletes.
St. Paul, too, noted this mythology and reordered it to Christ: "In all these things we are more than conquerors (hyper-nikomen) through him who loved us." (Romans 8:37–38) Victory is ours because Christ intercedes, not Nike. Jesus is the one true God. He gives us victory not in mythical battles, but real, spiritual battles with Principalities and Powers, evil spirits, trying to conquer us through temptation and suffering.
Suffering is a profound problem and breaks many people. Suffering people weaken and, in their weakness, forsake the fullness of life. They give in to temptations, trials, and tragedy. In the abyss of suffering, despair arises, and sin suffocates hope. Yet St. Paul, a man who suffered intensely while living and preaching the Gospel, replies: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?" (Romans 8:35)
Moses warned of these seven woes, telling the Israelites that if they broke the covenant with God, these curses would occur, not as a condemnation but as a correction. Corrections cause suffering, but the sufferings are curative, not harmful. Yet many see suffering as vengeful, criticizing God, saying that He causes suffering and cannot, therefore, be all-loving and all-good.
In contrast, the wise see suffering as God's way to stop people from sinning and losing their lives. Sin destroys us. It separates us from Christ, as St. Paul tells us, "I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." (Galatians 5:21)
What things? "Immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like." (Galatians 5:18–21)
Sin, not suffering, separates us from God. Separated from Him, the spiritual battle is lost (though the larger war is not yet over). Sin impedes the Holy Spirit from working in our lives. God, however, intervenes and sends His Son. In His death (ironically) and resurrection, Jesus is victorious. He defeats the Powers and Principalities, and restores us to life with his grace.
Grace, partaking in God's life, changes sins into victory and sufferings into triumph. Any victory costs. It entails suffering, but the suffering we endure has a purpose. It is not worthless. In fact, St. James tells us, "Blessed is the man who endures trial, for when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life which God has promised to those who love him." (James 1:12)
Yet many people see their sufferings as meaningless. They live in the here and now, not in the eternal hereafter. St. John Paul knew this. In his great work Salvifici doloris, he writes:
Suffering seems to belong to man's transcendence: it is one of those points in which man is in a certain sense "destined" to go beyond himself, and he is called to this in a mysterious way. (¶ 2)
That call asks us to go beyond our present self and discover the great experience of encountering God. Through suffering, Christ's passion, death, and resurrection become alive in us. And through our own cross, we conform our wills to the Father's as did Jesus. In other words, suffering embraced saves.
Instead of seeing suffering as a way to God's victory, many reject God's will, thinking suffering is foolish. Christ dismisses that thinking, telling us to take up our cross daily and follow Him.
Following Jesus, at first, leads us into the desert. Alone, hungry, and lost, Jesus speaks to us. He gives us Himself not just in words and miracles, which ...
Nike, the shoe company, not the ancient Greek goddess, famously said, "Just Do It." But why is the company called "Nike," and what does the word mean? Nikê is the Greek goddess of victory in war – and life. Battles bring victory, and she brought victory to Zeus, supporting him in his wars. Taking note, Nike became the shoe company that brings victory to athletes.
St. Paul, too, noted this mythology and reordered it to Christ: "In all these things we are more than conquerors (hyper-nikomen) through him who loved us." (Romans 8:37–38) Victory is ours because Christ intercedes, not Nike. Jesus is the one true God. He gives us victory not in mythical battles, but real, spiritual battles with Principalities and Powers, evil spirits, trying to conquer us through temptation and suffering.
Suffering is a profound problem and breaks many people. Suffering people weaken and, in their weakness, forsake the fullness of life. They give in to temptations, trials, and tragedy. In the abyss of suffering, despair arises, and sin suffocates hope. Yet St. Paul, a man who suffered intensely while living and preaching the Gospel, replies: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?" (Romans 8:35)
Moses warned of these seven woes, telling the Israelites that if they broke the covenant with God, these curses would occur, not as a condemnation but as a correction. Corrections cause suffering, but the sufferings are curative, not harmful. Yet many see suffering as vengeful, criticizing God, saying that He causes suffering and cannot, therefore, be all-loving and all-good.
In contrast, the wise see suffering as God's way to stop people from sinning and losing their lives. Sin destroys us. It separates us from Christ, as St. Paul tells us, "I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." (Galatians 5:21)
What things? "Immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like." (Galatians 5:18–21)
Sin, not suffering, separates us from God. Separated from Him, the spiritual battle is lost (though the larger war is not yet over). Sin impedes the Holy Spirit from working in our lives. God, however, intervenes and sends His Son. In His death (ironically) and resurrection, Jesus is victorious. He defeats the Powers and Principalities, and restores us to life with his grace.
Grace, partaking in God's life, changes sins into victory and sufferings into triumph. Any victory costs. It entails suffering, but the suffering we endure has a purpose. It is not worthless. In fact, St. James tells us, "Blessed is the man who endures trial, for when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life which God has promised to those who love him." (James 1:12)
Yet many people see their sufferings as meaningless. They live in the here and now, not in the eternal hereafter. St. John Paul knew this. In his great work Salvifici doloris, he writes:
Suffering seems to belong to man's transcendence: it is one of those points in which man is in a certain sense "destined" to go beyond himself, and he is called to this in a mysterious way. (¶ 2)
That call asks us to go beyond our present self and discover the great experience of encountering God. Through suffering, Christ's passion, death, and resurrection become alive in us. And through our own cross, we conform our wills to the Father's as did Jesus. In other words, suffering embraced saves.
Instead of seeing suffering as a way to God's victory, many reject God's will, thinking suffering is foolish. Christ dismisses that thinking, telling us to take up our cross daily and follow Him.
Following Jesus, at first, leads us into the desert. Alone, hungry, and lost, Jesus speaks to us. He gives us Himself not just in words and miracles, which ...