Disagreeable Sufferings of Jesus’ Humanity

Divine Appeal Reflection - 204

Today, consider in Divine Appeal 204:"It pleases Me to tell you this secret; in My bitter Passion I was grieved so much as I felt My sufferings were so painful and disagreeable to My Humanity. From all this source flowed other dispositions."

Intellectual knowledge can explain suffering, but personal experience reveals its hidden weight (cf. Job 6:2–3). A physician may understand a wound, yet the patient endures its pain (cf. Lk 10:30–35). A judge may comprehend injustice, yet the innocent person bears its consequences (cf. Ps 35:11). Christ did not merely understand human sorrow; He entered its depths through His true humanity . In Gethsemane,(cf. Mt 26:38–39) He experienced anguish while freely surrendering to the Father’s will . In the Passion, Our Adorable Jesus did not merely observe the suffering of humanity from the invulnerable distance of heaven. He assumed our nature(cf. Heb 2:14–18; 4:15) and experienced suffering in His own sacred Humanity . The Church teaches that Jesus possessed a complete human nature,(cf. CCC 471–474) including a genuine human intellect, will, and affections, which were not erased by His divinity . His suffering was not an outward appearance concealing an untouched interior; His Humanity truly experienced sorrow and pain . A father may accept a painful operation to save his child, yet still tremble before the incision . A mother may understand the necessity of her child’s treatment, yet feel her heart pierced by the child’s cry (cf. Lk 2:35; Rom 12:15). Love does not make suffering unreal; it enables the heart to embrace what is necessary without ceasing to feel its cost (cf. 1 Cor 13:7; Heb 12:2). Although these human experiences cannot fully express the unique saving mystery of Christ’s Passion,(cf. Heb 9:26–28) they help us understand that genuine love and genuine suffering can coexist . Jesus did not regard human nature as something unworthy of God, but freely assumed our humanity to accomplish our redemption . His capacity to experience sorrow and suffering was part of His true humanity,(cf. Heb 2:14–18; Heb 4:15) not a flaw in His holiness . We must therefore reject the notion that spiritual maturity means becoming incapable of emotional pain. A religious sister may experience loneliness within her convent, a priest may feel the burden of a difficult ministry, and a father may tremble with concern for his family while remaining faithful to God . Likewise, weeping beside a grave does not necessarily signify a loss of faith in the Resurrection . The sorrow of Jesus teaches us that suffering is not, in itself, contrary to holiness; rather, holiness is revealed in how we bring our pain, fears, and limitations before God and continue to surrender ourselves to His will .

To grasp what Jesus means by the suffering and aversion experienced by His Humanity, we must contemplate His agony in Gethsemane, where the approaching Passion became an overwhelming interior trial . Before the scourging, humiliation, crown of thorns, and Crucifixion,(cf. Mk 14:33–36) Christ confronted the cup of suffering in the depths of His human experience . His human will naturally recoiled from pain and death, yet remained freely surrendered to the divine will in perfect love . His obedience did not suppress His Humanity; it became the offering through which His Humanity was united to the Father’s saving purpose . This mystery speaks powerfully to everyday life. A young woman may know that reporting workplace harassment is necessary, yet fear humiliation or retaliation . A seminarian may recognize the need to disclose a hidden struggle to his spiritual director, yet feel drawn towards silence and concealment . A married person may understand that reconciliation begins with admitting personal wrongdoing, yet struggle to utter the first words of apology . In each situation,(cf. Rom 7:21–23) the conscience may recognize the good while the heart trembles before its cost . Although these experiences cannot be equated with Christ’s unique redemptive Passion,(cf. Heb 5:7–9) Gethsemane illuminates the path of faithful obedience . Fidelity is not measured by how agreeable a sacrifice feels, but by whether we remain committed to truth and charity when doing what is right becomes painful . Nevertheless, Christ’s obedience must never be used to justify abuse, exploitation, or preventable harm. Seeking protection, reporting injustice, obtaining medical care, and establishing healthy boundaries can themselves be acts of courage and responsibility . The essential question is not whether suffering must always be accepted,(cf. Mic 6:8; Rom 12:21) but how we should respond to it with wisdom, justice, and trust in God . In Gethsemane, Jesus teaches us to bring our resistance honestly into prayer rather than disguising fear as strength . We need not pretend that the cup is sweet; we are invited to place our trembling hearts before the Father, allowing fear to be acknowledged without permitting it to rule our choices .

The bitterness of suffering becomes most intelligible when we contemplate Christ’s Passion, where pain entered the concrete depths of human existence through betrayal, abandonment, humiliation, physical torment, and death . Jesus did not merely comprehend the injustice inflicted upon Him; He truly experienced its anguish in His assumed Humanity . Yet His suffering did not diminish His divinity, for the eternal Son remained truly God while enduring pain according to His human nature . The Person who suffered was the divine Son,(cf. CCC 466, 469–470) but He suffered in the human nature He had freely assumed for our salvation . Consider someone publicly wounded by a false accusation whose shame returns long after the truth has emerged (cf. Ps 55:12–14). A betrayed employee may continue working while inwardly struggling to trust again, and a bereaved mother may feel the absence of her child even amid another family celebration (cf. Ps 34:18; Rom 12:15). Outward composure does not necessarily reveal inward healing, because some wounds remain hidden beneath ordinary responsibilities (cf. 1 Sam 1:10–16). Christ therefore meets us not as a distant observer of human anguish,(cf. Heb 4:15–16) but as the Saviour who has entered genuine human suffering and understands our weakness . Nevertheless, His Passion remains unique in its redemptive purpose, and not every painful event should be interpreted as directly sent by God or automatically sanctifying . Injustice must be confronted, harmful situations may require protection, and deep wounds can call for time, compassionate support, and professional care . No suffering places a person beyond Christ’s reach or makes that person unworthy of compassion . The profound mystery of the Cross is that Jesus revealed the depth of divine love not by remaining untouched by suffering, but by freely persevering in love through the suffering His saving mission entailed .

If contemplating Christ’s sorrow does not make us more sensitive to the wounds of others, our devotion risks remaining external rather than transforming the heart . The suffering Humanity of Jesus exposes the coldness that can conceal itself beneath religious observance, professional authority, social prestige, or spiritual speech . Kneeling before the Crucifix while humiliating a subordinate contradicts the mercy we profess to contemplate . Speaking of sacrifice while refusing to hear an exhausted spouse reveals a heart that has not yet fully learned Christ’s self-giving love . The Cross teaches us to take another person’s suffering seriously, not as an interruption to our duties, but as a place where charity demands our attention . Consider an elderly religious whose physical strength no longer permits the apostolic activities that once filled her days. If younger members value her prayers but quietly treat her as though her usefulness has ended, they risk measuring her dignity by productivity rather than by the worth of her person . Her hidden prayer, patient endurance, and continued offering of herself remain meaningful, even when her service is no longer publicly visible . Likewise, a man who has lost his employment may withdraw from parish gatherings because he fears being judged by his financial circumstances . He may need not merely reassuring words, but help with necessities, sincere companionship, and the experience of belonging without having to prove his worth through material contribution .Contemplating Christ’s wounded Humanity should awaken us to the suffering of those around us, allowing Eucharistic devotion to become visible through mercy, dignity, and concrete assistance (cf. Mt 25:35–40; Jas 2:15–17). A teenager repeatedly mocked for learning more slowly needs adults who defend him and challenge the cruelty, not merely tell him to endure it . Christian spirituality must never glorify suffering in a way that excuses preventable harm . We honour Christ by protecting the vulnerable, confronting injustice, and accompanying those whose burdens others overlook . The Good Samaritan demonstrated compassion through practical intervention,(cf. Lk 10:30–37) personal involvement, and sustained care for the wounded stranger . St Camillus de Lellis likewise witnessed to a charity attentive to the bodily suffering and dignity of the sick . The sorrow of Jesus should deepen our sensitivity to human pain rather than make us fascinated by suffering itself . It should teach parents to correct without crushing a child’s spirit, priests to guide without humiliating, employers to exercise authority justly, and consecrated persons to recognize hidden struggles beneath outward tranquillity . When confronted with another person’s suffering, we should not hastily claim that God intended the harm; we should discern what truth, protection, justice, and loving assistance demand . The Passion bears fruit in our lives when Christ’s wounded love teaches us to relieve suffering where possible and never inflict pain carelessly .

The deepest mystery of Christ’s Passion lies in the inseparable union of genuine human suffering and His free, loving surrender to the Father . Had His Humanity been incapable of suffering, He would not have fully entered the human condition He came to redeem; had His self-offering lacked freedom, its manifestation of personal love would have been different . Yet Jesus embraced His Passion willingly, out of obedience to the Father and love for humanity . The Church(cf. CCC 609–618) teaches that His sacrifice is unique and that He freely offered Himself for our salvation . This mystery illuminates the demands of everyday fidelity. A married couple may begin rebuilding trust after betrayal, not by pretending the wound never existed, but through truth, repentance, and patient love . A priest may return to the confessional after an exhausting day, offering faithful service while recognizing his human limitations. A young person may refuse dishonest gain despite financial pressure, choosing integrity over immediate advantage . A caregiver may ask relatives for assistance before exhaustion develops into resentment, acknowledging that receiving help can also be an act of humility . In each case, love does not require denying human weakness;(cf. Mk 12:31; Phil 2:4) it calls for a truthful response that respects both the needs of others and one’s own dignity . Christ’s Passion must never be interpreted as an invitation to seek suffering, accept abuse, or consider oneself worthless . Our participation in His sacrifice consists in receiving His grace and allowing His self-giving charity to transform our daily choices . Sometimes fidelity requires patient endurance; at other times, it requires resisting injustice, leaving danger, obtaining treatment, or asking for assistance . The Cross never sanctifies cruelty; it reveals the gravity of sin while opening the way to reconciliation and new life . Jesus did not need to experience the Cross as pleasant in order to embrace the Father’s saving will (cf. Mt 26:38–39). His sorrow was genuine, His Humanity was genuine, and His self-offering was freely given in love (cf. Heb 5:7–9; CCC 612). Here lies a profound consolation for every struggling soul: we need not pretend that suffering is agreeable to remain faithful, nor become emotionally numb to grow in holiness (cf. Ps 62:8; Rom 12:15). United with the risen Christ, we can acknowledge our pain honestly, seek necessary help, and continue choosing what truth and charity require . For the Passion does not conclude in the darkness of the tomb;(cf. Lk 24:5–7; Rom 6:9; 1 Cor 15:54–57) the crucified Humanity of Jesus belongs to the risen Lord, whose victory assures us that suffering, sin, and death will not have the final word .

Prayer

Our Adorable Jesus, let us enter reverently into the sorrow of Your most holy Humanity. Teach us to face suffering truthfully, love without cruelty, obey without pretending, and remain faithful without seeking pain. Through Your Passion, soften our hearts, strengthen the wounded, and lead us into the hope of Your Resurrection. Amen.

Sr. Anna Ali of the Most Holy Eucharist, intercede for us.