On the Christian Meaning of Human Suffering

An apostolic letter 'on the Christian meaning of human suffering', dated 11 February 1984, the memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes, during the Holy Year of the Redemption, which the letter itself names as its context. It begins from Paul's words to the Colossians, 'in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions', and describes the world of human suffering, physical and moral, personal and collective. It then follows the question of the meaning of suffering through the Old Testament, the Book of Job and the idea of suffering as punishment, which it finds insufficient. The centre of the letter is Jesus Christ, in whom suffering is overcome by love, and the believer's share in Christ's sufferings, through which suffering acquires a redemptive meaning. A section on 'the Gospel of suffering' gathers the witness of Christ, Mary and the apostles, and a section on the Good Samaritan turns to the duty of those who are near to the suffering, including the work of medical and charitable care.