Redemptive suffering
Encyclopedia
Redemptive suffering is the Roman Catholic
belief that human suffering
, when accepted and offered up in union with the Passion
of Jesus
, can remit the just punishment for one's sins or for the sins of another. Like an indulgence
, redemptive suffering does not gain the individual forgiveness for their sin; forgiveness results from God’s grace, freely given through Christ, which cannot be earned. After one's sins are forgiven, the individual's suffering can reduce the penalty due for sin.
believe that God
loves mankind so much that He made Himself human in Jesus in order to redeem mankind:
It is believed that Jesus freed mankind from the bondage of sin:
Thus one may consider that God paid for mankind's freedom from sin in His human incarnation:
The belief is that the price that God, in Jesus, paid for the redemption of mankind, is the Passion, that is, his suffering and agony that led directly to his Crucifixion
. Christians believe that, as members of the Church, they are members of the body of Jesus Christ:
Hence, orthodox Catholic theology presents the belief that our suffering can be united to that of Christ and so in union with His Passion:
In sum, the Catechism of the Catholic Church
states that Christ "calls his disciples to "take up [their] cross and follow [him]" (Matthew 16:24) for "Christ also suffered for [us], leaving [us] an example so that [we] should follow in his steps. (1 Pet. 2:21)"
. One extreme example of redemptive suffering, which existed in the 13th and 14th centuries in Europe
, was the Flagellants
. As a partial response to the Black Death
, these radicals, who were later condemned as heretics
in the Catholic Church, engaged in body mortification, usually by whipping themselves, to repent for their sins
, which they believed led to the Black Death. The Flagellants quickly developed a large following throughout Central Europe, as they undertook militant pilgrimages
across parts of the continent.
, who wrote that "If pain could have cured us we should long ago have been saved."
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
belief that human suffering
Suffering
Suffering, or pain in a broad sense, is an individual's basic affective experience of unpleasantness and aversion associated with harm or threat of harm. Suffering may be qualified as physical or mental. It may come in all degrees of intensity, from mild to intolerable. Factors of duration and...
, when accepted and offered up in union with the Passion
Passion (Christianity)
The Passion is the Christian theological term used for the events and suffering – physical, spiritual, and mental – of Jesus in the hours before and including his trial and execution by crucifixion...
of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
, can remit the just punishment for one's sins or for the sins of another. Like an indulgence
Indulgence
In Catholic theology, an indulgence is the full or partial remission of temporal punishment due for sins which have already been forgiven. The indulgence is granted by the Catholic Church after the sinner has confessed and received absolution...
, redemptive suffering does not gain the individual forgiveness for their sin; forgiveness results from God’s grace, freely given through Christ, which cannot be earned. After one's sins are forgiven, the individual's suffering can reduce the penalty due for sin.
Catholic theology
ChristiansChristianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
believe that God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
loves mankind so much that He made Himself human in Jesus in order to redeem mankind:
- "For God so loved the earth that he gave his only son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16John 3:16John 3:16 is one of the most widely quoted verses from the Christian Bible, and has been called the most famous Bible verse...
)
It is believed that Jesus freed mankind from the bondage of sin:
- "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." (Epistle to the GalatiansEpistle to the GalatiansThe Epistle of Paul to the Galatians, often shortened to Galatians, is the ninth book of the New Testament. It is a letter from Paul of Tarsus to a number of Early Christian communities in the Roman province of Galatia in central Anatolia...
5:1)
Thus one may consider that God paid for mankind's freedom from sin in His human incarnation:
- "For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." (First Epistle to the CorinthiansFirst Epistle to the CorinthiansThe first epistle of Paul the apostle to the Corinthians, often referred to as First Corinthians , is the seventh book of the New Testament of the Bible...
6:20)
The belief is that the price that God, in Jesus, paid for the redemption of mankind, is the Passion, that is, his suffering and agony that led directly to his Crucifixion
Crucifixion
Crucifixion is an ancient method of painful execution in which the condemned person is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead...
. Christians believe that, as members of the Church, they are members of the body of Jesus Christ:
- "For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another." (Epistle to the RomansEpistle to the RomansThe Epistle of Paul to the Romans, often shortened to Romans, is the sixth book in the New Testament. Biblical scholars agree that it was composed by the Apostle Paul to explain that Salvation is offered through the Gospel of Jesus Christ...
12:4–5) - "Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid." (1 Cor 6:15)
Hence, orthodox Catholic theology presents the belief that our suffering can be united to that of Christ and so in union with His Passion:
- "As they were going out, they met a Cyrenian named Simon; this man they pressed into service to carry his cross." (Gospel of MatthewGospel of MatthewThe Gospel According to Matthew is one of the four canonical gospels, one of the three synoptic gospels, and the first book of the New Testament. It tells of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth...
27:32) - "Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church." (Epistle to the ColossiansEpistle to the ColossiansThe Epistle of Paul to the Colossians, usually referred to simply as Colossians, is the 12th book of the New Testament. It was written, according to the text, by Paul the Apostle to the Church in Colossae, a small Phrygian city near Laodicea and approximately 100 miles from Ephesus in Asia...
1:24)
In sum, the Catechism of the Catholic Church
Catechism of the Catholic Church
The Catechism of the Catholic Church is the official text of the teachings of the Catholic Church. A provisional, "reference text" was issued by Pope John Paul II on October 11, 1992 — "the thirtieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council" — with his apostolic...
states that Christ "calls his disciples to "take up [their] cross and follow [him]" (Matthew 16:24) for "Christ also suffered for [us], leaving [us] an example so that [we] should follow in his steps. (1 Pet. 2:21)"
Forms
Life presents the ordinary human being with ample unasked-for occasions to practice redemptive suffering. However, religious practitioners in various traditions have found spiritual benefits from voluntarily bringing upon themselves additional pain and discomfort through corporal mortificationMortification of the flesh
Mortification of the flesh literally means "putting the flesh to death". The term is primarily used in religious and spiritual contexts. The institutional and traditional terminology of this practice in Catholicism is corporal mortification....
. One extreme example of redemptive suffering, which existed in the 13th and 14th centuries in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, was the Flagellants
Flagellant
Flagellants are practitioners of an extreme form of mortification of their own flesh by whipping it with various instruments.- History :Flagellantism was a 13th and 14th centuries movement, consisting of radicals in the Catholic Church. It began as a militant pilgrimage and was later condemned by...
. As a partial response to the Black Death
Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
, these radicals, who were later condemned as heretics
Heresy
Heresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma. It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one's religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion...
in the Catholic Church, engaged in body mortification, usually by whipping themselves, to repent for their sins
Sin
In religion, sin is the violation or deviation of an eternal divine law or standard. The term sin may also refer to the state of having committed such a violation. Christians believe the moral code of conduct is decreed by God In religion, sin (also called peccancy) is the violation or deviation...
, which they believed led to the Black Death. The Flagellants quickly developed a large following throughout Central Europe, as they undertook militant pilgrimages
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
across parts of the continent.
Criticism
The notion that suffering is or can be redemptive has been criticized, such as by self-described Catholic atheist George SantayanaGeorge Santayana
George Santayana was a philosopher, essayist, poet, and novelist. A lifelong Spanish citizen, Santayana was raised and educated in the United States and identified himself as an American. He wrote in English and is generally considered an American man of letters...
, who wrote that "If pain could have cured us we should long ago have been saved."