29th Sunday of Year B October 18, 2009
Desire and Suffering
To be human is to experience desire and ambition. To know a person's deep desires is
to see into that person's soul. Desire for good, such as world peace or the end of
global warming, is a positive urge of the human spirit. Other desires that focus on
personal happiness and success can also be positive. However, they may also become
caught up with the 'dark side' of the human spirit leading to jealousy, blind ambition
and ruthless disregard for others.
Throughout the drama of human life, desire and suffering are closely linked. This is
evident, for example, in the works of Shakespeare: one thinks of the innocent,
youthful desires of Romeo and Juliet, the dark and treacherous desires of Macbeth and
Lady Macbeth, or the obsessive desires of King Richard III. In different ways, these
desires all lead to tragic suffering. The connection between suffering and desire is also
a key insight of the Buddha who taught that all suffering is caused by human desire
and that happiness or enlightenment consists in the elimination of all desires. How does
this compare with the approach of our own Christian Scriptures?
The long history of Israel is one of suffering at the hands of external enemies and
through internal divisions. Jesus' life-story is also one in which his efforts to bring
about God's kingdom of justice and peace are thwarted by negative forces. Even
Jesus' own disciples, especially in Mark's Gospel, seem blind to his real mission and
message.
Why are Jesus' disciples so dim-witted? In a word, they are so caught up with their
petty desires and ambition for power and glory; they are unable to see Jesus for who
he really is or to hear what he truly asks. They want to overcome suffering (as we all
do); but they think the way to do this is in the worldly way of grabbing power, status
and authority.
Jesus' response is to challenge their preconceptions: "Anyone who is to be great among
you must be your servant; anyone who wants to be first among you must be your
slave." Suffering is integral to our human lives. In this sense, compared to the Buddha,
Jesus is more radical by insisting his followers embrace suffering as he does: "Can you
drink the cup that I must drink?" Jesus is not in any way glorifying suffering for its
own sake. But he offers a way for us to place suffering in its proper context. The
message is foreshadowed by the prophet Isaiah who links the positive acceptance of
suffering with liberation from sin and the practice of justice. Acting for God's kingdom
means putting one's life on the line - and even, as in Jesus' case, giving one's "life as a
ransom for many".
There is another form of suffering Jesus shares with us. Like us, he experiences
human weakness - though, the writer is careful to add, "he is without sin" (Hebrews).
Sin is the ultimate cause of human suffering often expressed in our wayward human
desires. Jesus shows us the way to purify such desires through a life of servanthood.
Gerard Hall SM
© Redemptorists 2009
**********************************************
Desire and Suffering
To be human is to experience desire and ambition. To know a person's deep desires is
to see into that person's soul. Desire for good, such as world peace or the end of
global warming, is a positive urge of the human spirit. Other desires that focus on
personal happiness and success can also be positive. However, they may also become
caught up with the 'dark side' of the human spirit leading to jealousy, blind ambition
and ruthless disregard for others.
Throughout the drama of human life, desire and suffering are closely linked. This is
evident, for example, in the works of Shakespeare: one thinks of the innocent,
youthful desires of Romeo and Juliet, the dark and treacherous desires of Macbeth and
Lady Macbeth, or the obsessive desires of King Richard III. In different ways, these
desires all lead to tragic suffering. The connection between suffering and desire is also
a key insight of the Buddha who taught that all suffering is caused by human desire
and that happiness or enlightenment consists in the elimination of all desires. How does
this compare with the approach of our own Christian Scriptures?
The long history of Israel is one of suffering at the hands of external enemies and
through internal divisions. Jesus' life-story is also one in which his efforts to bring
about God's kingdom of justice and peace are thwarted by negative forces. Even
Jesus' own disciples, especially in Mark's Gospel, seem blind to his real mission and
message.
Why are Jesus' disciples so dim-witted? In a word, they are so caught up with their
petty desires and ambition for power and glory; they are unable to see Jesus for who
he really is or to hear what he truly asks. They want to overcome suffering (as we all
do); but they think the way to do this is in the worldly way of grabbing power, status
and authority.
Jesus' response is to challenge their preconceptions: "Anyone who is to be great among
you must be your servant; anyone who wants to be first among you must be your
slave." Suffering is integral to our human lives. In this sense, compared to the Buddha,
Jesus is more radical by insisting his followers embrace suffering as he does: "Can you
drink the cup that I must drink?" Jesus is not in any way glorifying suffering for its
own sake. But he offers a way for us to place suffering in its proper context. The
message is foreshadowed by the prophet Isaiah who links the positive acceptance of
suffering with liberation from sin and the practice of justice. Acting for God's kingdom
means putting one's life on the line - and even, as in Jesus' case, giving one's "life as a
ransom for many".
There is another form of suffering Jesus shares with us. Like us, he experiences
human weakness - though, the writer is careful to add, "he is without sin" (Hebrews).
Sin is the ultimate cause of human suffering often expressed in our wayward human
desires. Jesus shows us the way to purify such desires through a life of servanthood.
Gerard Hall SM
© Redemptorists 2009
**********************************************
