Living Memento Mori Part 7: Friendship With God Doesn’t Always Make Sense
As St. Teresa of Ávila was traveling to one of her convents, she fell off a horse while crossing a cold stream. The current, being strong, caused Teresa to lose her footing and she was almost swept away. She complained to God about the constant trials in her life. The Lord replied, “Do not complain, daughter, for it is ever the way I treat My friends.”
Her snarky reply, “If this is how you treat your friends, no wonder you have so few.”
Funny, but not really if your suffering is chronic. Suffering is rarely a “one and done” thing. Often there is an ebb and flow to it. It goes away somewhat, but then returns.
In the seventh station, Jesus falls for the 2nd time. In the ninth station, he falls for the third time. Overwhelming fatigue, exhaustion, pain, angst. Calvary is close, but he’s not there yet. He gets back up and moves forward.
Emily DeArdo tells of the time she went to the emergency room for what she thought was pancreatitis. It wasn’t. She was put in a medically induced coma for two weeks while doctors tried to figure it out. It turned out to be an ultra-rare bacterial infection. She did recover, but her physical condition had greatly deteriorated. She needed to practice simple skills like sitting up and reaching for things above her head. She would never be as strong as before.
From this point on Emily found herself in and out of hospitals repeatedly. The trajectory of her health was downward. She was now qualified to be on a list of candidates waiting for a transplant. Now in her senior year of college, she so badly wanted to live. Her life was increasingly out of her hands.
Living Memento Mori means not demanding God to wave a wand and take your struggle away. That doesn’t mean it’s not right to ask him for healing or relief. We should. It’s the right and normal thing to do. Living Memento Mori also means being free to express anger and frustration to him. Think Psalm 22.
Thanks for Reading,
Curt Bumcrot, MRE
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