St. Paul, writing to the Christian community in Rome, tells us that “suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope” (Romans 5:3-4). This is not to say that Christians glorify suffering; instead, the Christian response to suffering is both the hope offered in and by Jesus Christ and concrete action to relieve suffering.
As the Commission on Faith and Witness began working through the topic of suffering, the theme of hope continually emerged. These conversations resulted in the resource The Bruised Reed: Reflections on Suffering and Hope (2010). This resource grapples with many questions: where do we turn, when confronted with our own or others’ suffering? Why do we go there? What does it mean for us? What is suffering, and what do we do with it? The Bruised Reed offers several stories of suffering and hope interspersed with poetry, imagery, scripture, hymns, prayers, and theological reflection.
This resource may be used:
For church-specific reflections, please view the Working Papers on Suffering and Hope (2010). Please note that these are older resources and some of the language used may be out of date.
| Title | Summary | Link | hf:doc_categories | hf:doc_tags |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Le Roseau meurtri | La souffrance est une caractéristique universelle de la condition humaine. La réponse de la chrétienté à la souffrance comporte à la fois l’espérance en et par Jésus-Christ et le soulagement de la souffrance. L’étude, par la Commission, des perspectives chrétiennes sur la souffrance et l’espoir a résulté en une ressource personnelle et pastorale, offerte sous la forme d’un livre intitulé Le roseau froissé : Réflexion chrétienne sur la souffrance et l’espoir. On peut aussi télécharger les documents de travail (anglais seulement) préparés par les membres de la … | french suffering-hope language theme | ||
| Suffering and Hope Working Papers | The documents reproduced here were presented as working papers in the context of the study undertaken by the Faith and Witness Commission of the Canadian Council of Churches on the theme of Suffering and Hope, between 2004 and 2008. The papers were prepared by members of the Commission, with the exception of the final essay, by Fr Lev Gillet of the Orthodox Church, submitted as supplementary documentation. The views expressed in the working papers are those of their … | english suffering-hope language theme | ||
| Bruised Reed: A Christian Reflection on Suffering and Hope | This ecumenical resource on the universal experience of suffering and hope weaves together fine art, meaningful reflections and voices from CCC member churches. As persons and communities belonging to Christ and Christ’s church, we wish to address, in our own time and place, the paradox of finding hope in suffering, and suffering in hope. The Faith and Witness Commission was called on to give form and shape to the paradox; the outcome is the present resource. As we reflected together on our churches’ work with persons suffering from HIV/AIDS, from poverty, from other kinds of illness or prejudice or cruelty or violence, Faith and Witness noticed the word that kept recurring: suffering. We found ourselves turning to the question of how we, as Christians from various traditions, understand and respond to suffering—not in the abstract, but in the flesh-and-blood reality of this person bleeding in front of me, this pain in my own heart, this horrific conflict that gets worse instead of better. Where do we turn, when confronted with our own or others’ suffering? Why do we go there? What does it mean for us? What is suffering, and what do we do with it? As we moved more deeply into the question, we discovered at its depths another recurring word, one that attached itself inseparably to suffering. That word is hope. Overall, we found among our traditions many differences as we ruminated, differences of expression, differences of focus, and even differences of understanding. But we also found, at the core of our discussions, much we hold in common that is foundational. It may be that the foundation, so familiar to us as to be at times invisible, is also the place of greatest recognition among us. That foundation … | english suffering-hope language theme |