"Could you not watch one hour with me?" (Matthew 26:40)
The only remedy for spiritual torpor is prayer, fasting and almsgiving. This is not just vocal prayer, although vocal prayer is important. This is not just physical fasting, although that also is important. It is not just tossing an extra tenner in the collection plate, although that never hurt anybody.
But the prayer , fasting and almsgiving which can heal our soul must involve a communion of hearts,just as a good marriage must involve more than just words.
From the Catholic Exchange.
QUOTE Sharing another’s suffering is one of the most intimate things we can do. It is easy to be with another in their joy. It is a much harder task to be with someone as they cry out in pain or misery or suffer in silence as their spirit is ripped to shreds and they feel that the light will never come out again. So often, when we see someone else in pain, we want to fix things. We want to make the pain go away. Sometimes, we can. Other times, we have nothing to offer but our presence. It is important to realize how much a gift that can be.
Christ suffers in solidarity with every soul, and we can suffer in solidarity with Him. We are never alone, though we may feel forsaken. Christ shows us that He is one with us in our sorrow and pain, no matter how alone we feel. We are all wounded, broken, suffering in some way, and even the pain we bring upon ourselves, He shares. He MUST share, because love is revealed fully when we share another’s suffering.
We cannot eliminate suffering in this life; there are times when we can partially alleviate another’s suffering, but our proper response to suffering is to simply be with, be for, the suffering person. The answer to suffering is always an experience of grace and unconditional acceptance. The answer to suffering is love - - Kathryn Mulderink, His Suffering and Ours. UNQUOTE
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