To Suffer

Homily for Wednesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

In Latin, there is a group of verbs which are called deponent. These particular verbs lack an active voice. They look and act like passive verbs. One of those verbs is “patior,” which means to suffer. It is the word from which we derive the words “patience, “passion,” and “compassion.” Consequently, when the Scriptures speak of compassion, they declare that one who is compassionate actually suffers with the other.

The passage from the Letter to the Hebrews that we proclaim today speaks of Jesus being tested in the same way that we are tested. Consequently, he knows how we feel when we are tested and when we experience episodes that test our patience. He responds to our needs with compassion because he knows what we are feeling. When he shows us mercy, it is because of his compassion. As the Gospel recounts, “he looked upon them with pity (another word that comes from “patior”) for they were like sheep without a shepherd.

We are tested, challenged, and tried every day. Jesus understands these challenges in a very real way because he has experienced them himself. He suffered for us, but he also suffers with us. We are also called by him to reach out to others, to suffer with others and to show compassion to others. As the Gospel text for today tells us, Jesus declared to his apostles, “For this purpose have I come.” Through the sacraments and through our daily prayer, we continue his mission. We go forth from this place with the grace of the compassion for one another and to become instruments of his mercy.