Romans 8:35 -39
35 Who then shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation? or distress? or famine? or nakedness? or danger? or persecution? or the sword?
36 (As it is written: For thy sake we are put to death all the day long. We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.) 37 But in all these things we overcome, because of him that hath loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor might, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Today’s first readings are all about how God provides for those who love and worship Him. The Gospel is the familiar story of the multiplication of loaves and fish. From the Psalm to the Gospel, we are assured that God will provide abundantly for all of our needs. Saint Paul, though, reminds us of the hard truth that God allows us to suffer. All of us will suffer in this life. Some will go hungry despite their love for God. Some will be persecuted, some rejected, some face lives of poverty, sickness and sadness. Does that mean that God does not keep His promises? If so, the Bible is not true and Jesus is not God.
No. God allows us to suffer for many reasons. Consider that, in the Old Testament, whenever the Jews were in need and in distress, they turned to God wholeheartedly. Whenever they were in comfort and wealth, they turned away from God. This is a truism of human nature. When we have all we need in terms of money, food and even love, instead of being filled with gratitude, we become distracted by the pleasures of life. When tragedy strikes, then we pray fervently for God’s help. But, there is more to it than that.
Suffering has redemptive value. We all sin and we must do penance either in this life or in Purgatory. The suffering we experience here brings us closer to Heaven. The suffering we experience here is less intense than that of Purgatory. While it is hard to be grateful for suffering, if we saw the big picture, we would at least use each suffering as an opportunity for penance. We do this by offering up our suffering as penance and joining it to the suffering of our Lord in the Crucifixion, to gain the “merits of Christ” as the Bible states. We may also suffer for another. We may offer our suffering as penance for anyone, living or dead, and thus share in the redemptive mission of our Lord as part of the Body of Christ. By this we also share in the merits of Christ.
Suffering then, is an opportunity to become Christ-like. While God does provide for us our “daily bread” both physically and spiritually, He also sends us suffering to purify us. If we suffer willingly, accepting God’s Divine Providence, it will benefit us greatly and we will receive the great reward promised. This is difficult. It goes against human nature and it is far too easy to allow suffering to lead us to despair, anger and resentment. This is what is meant that God tests us in order to purify us and prove us like refined gold or silver. No matter how difficult the circumstances of life, we must not allow them to separate us from Christ.
Judson Carroll is the author of several books, including his newest, A Daily Catholic Devotional, Reflections on the Daily Mass Readings July - December, 2026 It is Available in paperback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GRGY1D15
A Daily Catholic Devotional, Reflections on the Daily Mass Readings January - June, 2026 It is also available in paperback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GDK16N45
and
Confirmation, an Autobiography of Faith: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C47Q1JNK
His podcast is The Uncensored Catholic https://www.spreaker.com/show/the-uncensored-catholic