In the gospel reading today, the two brothers, James and John, requested to have the first place in the future kingdom of Christ. They did not know what they were asking for. They were thinking of a worldly and political kingdom.
Christ tried to correct their misconception by referring to “the cup that I must drink” (Mark 10:38). He was referring to the suffering that He had to endure during his Passion and Death. If the two brothers wanted to share in His glory, would they be willing to share in His suffering as a central role in God’s redemptive plan?
Why did Christ suffer? The scripture itself tells us that He suffered out of love for us. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
Suffering is one of the hallmarks of love. It is easy enough to tell someone that we love him or her. But the test of that love is whether we are willing to undergo difficulties for ourselves out of that love.
There is a story about a son who grew up thinking that his mother loved to eat the head of the fish. Every time they had fish, the members of the family would all go for the juicy and meaty parts of the fish. But the mother would always demand her fish head. Later on, that man realized that it was not fish head that his mother loved. It was her children. By asking for the fish head, she was giving the best part of the fish to her children.
Jesus Christ suffered for love of us in order to save us from our sins. Sin, a serious transgression of the law of God, is tantamount to contempt for God. It is such an evil thing that it could only be remedied by the loving sacrifice of God’s only begotten and beloved son.
It was our sins that nailed Jesus to the cross. That is why, as we consider the need for suffering, we should resolve to fight against sin. Christ suffered for all the sins of mankind, past, present and future.
In a mysterious way, as Christ was suffering on the cross, He also had in mind the personal sins of each one of us. So that whenever we offend God grievously, it is like we were crucifying Christ once again. And every time we commit a venial sin, we are somehow inflicting more pain to his wounds.
We somehow share in the cause of Christ’s suffering. Can we also share in God’s redemptive plan by suffering in union with Christ?