December 10, 2012 – Psalms 107:17 – 107:43

When I was reading this, I was thinking about those that are at the door of death.  In our culture we deal with the issue of what to do in this situation.  There are a growing number that feel it is ok or even beneficial to end their life sooner so that they do not suffer.  This is not the Catholic stance and they teach against any type of death that is not natural.  I have talked before about the benefits of suffering and what suffering allows. Christ Himself showed us that suffering is not something to be avoided and brought about the greatest gift of all through His suffering. 

But another aspect of ending life early that I thought about in this reading was taking away God’s chance to work a miracle, to bring healing, and save a soul or many souls through that miracle.  There are many that do not believe in miracles, but that doesn’t mean they don’t happen.  And what would happen to those non believers if they saw a miracle up close or were directly affected by a miracle.  What would Lourdes be if people, instead of going there with the possibility of being healed, simply ended their suffering.  How many miracles would we have missed.  How many souls would be damaged.  It is not only about suffering but allowing God to work through your situation and possibly touch the lives of countless others.  Pray for those that are struggling with this circumstance and pray that when we face such a situation that we remember suffering is not a curse and God can only work miracles if we allow Him the chance.